Book Review

Citation

Calvert, P. (2001), "Book Review", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 18 No. 10. https://doi.org/10.1108/lhtn.2001.23918jae.003

Book Review

Using New Technology Effectively

by Ken DowlinHighsmith PressFort Atkinson, WI2001147 pp.US$19.00

Available only in PDF format from Highsmith Press, P.O. Box 800 Fort Atkinson, WI 53538-080. Tel: 1 800 558 2110; Fax: 1 800 835 2329: E-mail: hpress@highmith.com

There is simply no gain saying the simple statement that Ken Dowlin is one of the leading figures in contemporary American librarianship. His work with "Maggie's Place" at the Pikes Peak Library District established his reputation as a pioneer in the use of information technology in libraries. So it is no surprise that he says in the preface, "The purpose of this book is to state the case for the use of new information and communication technologies in libraries". He goes on to add that he will also provide some history on technology implementation, and then help the reader prepare for the successful acquisition, implementation, and management of the new technology. Ultimately, he wants to help library managers and community policy makers select tools and strategies so that they are more effective in accomplishing their mission and goals. It is revealing that he includes community policy makers in that statement, for Dowlin has been spectacularly successful in his campaigns to gather adequate finance for his library-building projects and few others can be as well qualified to give guidance on the politics of library resource funding.

In 1980 Toffler introduced the concept of three waves in western civilisation: the agricultural, industrial and information ages. Dowlin suggests that we have already moved into a fourth age, the communication age, in which, through talk radio shows, glossy magazines and cheap television productions, the act of communicating seems more important than the information that is transmitted. He hopes, without stating too much confidence in the idea, that we can move on to a fifth era, which he dubs the age of knowledge in which the increasing levels of technology access can be connected to a rise in the quality of education that will make knowledge the life-blood of future societies. At this point it is worth noting that Dowlin no longer works directly in libraries but has joined the academy as a Professor at the San José State University of Library and Information Science, and Director of Distance Education. He is also the Designated Architect of the Virtual School of Library and Information Science. In accordance with his views on societal shifts in general, Dowlin proposes that libraries have also experienced stages of growth, and currently they are changing from being a repository into a "communications centre". This is a key plank in his construction of the modern library. Libraries, he says, will act as the bridge between the knowledge industry (publishers, educators, and researchers) and the communications industry (mass media). He adds that this role will require significant public subsidy (so we had better be sure we know what we are doing).

Although some of the early pronouncements in this book make it sound as though Dowlin is predicting massive, radical change, the bulk of the text is not like that at all. The Internet, he says, will not replace television and other media, and it will not replace libraries; it will only change them and in some ways it already has. The printed book, he is convinced, will be around for a long time. What is changing, though, is the element of control, with the Internet shifting control of timing the access to information towards the consumer. The major impact of this has been on mass media, which is now deconstructed because snatches of "information" can be grabbed at any time and from any place; yet the advantage is that sources can be cross-checked for accuracy (by those with the time and ability) and fuller details gathered by those with a will to know more. The news media itself cannot put a cap on a story and say "this is all you need to know". The control over access means that the information gatekeepers (travel agents, bank tellers, stockbrokers, and reference librarians) will see their jobs change dramatically. No longer will customers be forced to use them as a channel for vital information, simply because so much of it will soon be available at little of no cost on the Internet. Librarians need to respond to this by recognising a new role as a communications facilitator, i.e. providing the means for consumers to access the information they need directly.

Dowlin does not sound like a big risk-taker even though he has a reputation as a pioneer. "The challenge is in perceiving the impact of future technologies and capitalizing on opportunities they present. If we see the impact of technologies on our societies and communities as a gauge for predicting implementation in libraries, we might be successful" (p. 31). What can be said of this book is that it will make an ideal guide to managing new technology for those librarians who still feel rather overwhelmed by it all, and that is probably the main market for this book. Those in the forefront of technology themselves, however, will be very interested by Dowlin's ideas on the impact of technology on information management.

A curious aspect to this book is that it is only available as an e-book ordered from the publishers. According to information supplied by the Highsmith Press Sales and Marketing Coordinator, "Customers who purchase this e-book will receive an envelope containing a Web site where they can download the PDF file for their own use".

Philip Calvertis based at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.