ALIA West

December 2005

Book reviews

The following book reviews were kindly provided by Paul Genoni of Curtin University. If you have read a good book, used a resource or discovered a useful website, share your discovery with your colleagues! Put a few words down and send them to the editor (please remove '.nospam' from address).

Brice, A Reserves, electronic reserves and copyright: The past and the future. Binghamton, Haworth, 2004. 106p. US$19.95 soft 0-7890-2797-6; US39.95 hard 0-7890-2796-8

Reserve collections in academic libraries have reached something of a crossroad. On one hand the advent of electronic reserve collections has provided vastly improved accessibility and equity of access which has substantially freed these collections from some of the more restrictive notions implied by the term reserve; on the other hand the overwhelming availability of electronic/digital text from other sources has removed the need for many items to be reserved at all.

For most academic libraries, however, the reserve collection remains a feature of their services, and one that has undergone rapid transformation in recent years as it has gone electronic. The rapid shift from print to electronic reserves has made this area of professional practice a focus for professional development and workplace learning as staff have been required to gain new skills and knowledge. One area above all else has been of concern in this transition, and that is the issue of dealing with copyright matters in the electronic environment.

In Reserves, electronic reserves and copyright, Brice Austin (head, circulation and interlibrary loan services, University of Colorado, Boulder) provides a compact introduction to the intersection between the practice of reserve librarianship and copyright law. He does this by briefly tracing the history of reserve collections (back to the 1870s); reviewing major changes to copyright legislation and subsequent court cases from the 1970s-1990s; and tracing the development of electronic reserves over the last decade. Austin concludes by considering three possible, alternative futures for electronic reserves. Appendices reproduce the appropriate section of the US copyright law, and several model documents incorporating policies that can be used to regulate reserves and associated copying within academic institutions. It needs to be pointed out that the context for this book is derived from US copyright legislation. This does not, however, negate its use in other countries and jurisdictions. The discussion around the concept of fair use will have resonance elsewhere, as will Austin's argument that librarians need to take a leading role in debates about the need to amend copyright laws in a way which keeps pace with technology. This compact, practical and easily-read book would make a good starting point for staff required to undertake learning in this area of practice.

Reserves, electronic reserves and copyright has been published simultaneously as Journal of interlibrary loan, document delivery & electronic reserve, Vol. 15, No. 2.

Orna, E Making knowledge visible: Communicating knowledge through information products. Aldershot, Gower, 2005. 222p. pnds29.95 soft 0-566-08563-1; pnds65.00 hard 0-566-08562-3.

Elizabeth Orna has established an enviable reputation for her lucid writing on the subject of information and knowledge management. In her most recent contribution to the field, Making knowledge visible, Orna introduces the concept of information products as a new means of conceptualising and negotiating the tri-partite relationship between information; information managers, and information users.

Orna defines information products as, 'the products, print on paper or electronic, through which information is presented for use. They embody the results of the transformation of knowledge into information ... and are an integral blend of content and container' (12). She also describes information products as the 'essential carriers by which knowledge gets from one human mind to another' (17).

Orna argues that information products need to be considered as part of the overall information strategy of an organisation. She contextualises her discussion by starting with the organisation itself (what is its existing information culture?); considers the function of information products in adding or subtracting value to the organisation; looks at the role of various internal and external stakeholders who potentially derive benefit from the information products; and discusses the various types of management and technology support needed in order to enhance the potential of information products. A final section of the book reflects on the well-established role of the information audit as a means of building a foundation for maximising the benefits of information products.

Although Making knowledge visible is based on - and incorporates - Orna's research outcomes it is designed for an audience of practitioners. The book incorporates numerous examples of particular, named corporations and their information/knowledge management practices, and includes selections from interviews conducted with information professionals. In this way Making knowledge visible is closely aligned with the practical interests and needs of those who need to manage corporate information. Accordingly Orna delivers the text in a readable and attractively presented manner that facilitates both exhaustive and/or selective reading.

The validity of knowledge management as the basis for corporate information management practice could be (and has been) debated at some length. Notwithstanding one's views on this matter, however, there is little doubting the commonsense approach Orna adopts to the role of information products in the information life cycle of an organisation. Making knowledge visible can be recommended to all those who have the task of dealing with corporate information, and would make useful reading for established practitioners who feel the need to reinvigorate their approach to their work.

Those interested in investigating this title further can go online for free sample chapter downloads.

Paul Genoni, Department of Media and Information, Curtin University of Technology