AARL

Book reviews

Encoded Archival Description on the Internet editors Daniel V Pitti, Wendy M Duff. New York Haworth Information Press 2001 241p ISBN 0-7890-1398-3 (copy supplied by publisher)

Libraries have had a standard format for machine-readable catalogue records since the introduction of MARC in 1968. But a similar consensus for the description of archival and manuscript collections has been much longer in emerging. Only since the release of the first version of EAD in 1998 has there been a shareable format for archival descriptions. EAD - Encoded Archival Description - was four years in the making, and was based on the international archival standard ISAD(G). Its developers, led by one of the editors of this volume (Daniel Pitti), talk about its potential 'to revolutionize archival practices and services' and 'to democratize and extend access to archival resources' (p6).

This collection of papers - also published as an issue of the Journal of Internet Cataloging - is the most wide-ranging account of the initial impact of EAD. It complements very well an earlier collection of papers in the American Archivist (vol 25 no 2 1997), which described the development and principles behind EAD. In this more recent volume, there are detailed and informative accounts of the large-scale implementation of EAD - both in consortia like the Online Archive of California and the research libraries group's 'archival resources' service, and in large institutions like the UK Public Record Office (now the National Archives). One of the important issues addressed is how to reach 'an acceptable range of uniform practices' across institutions, given the inherent flexibility which EAD offers.

These case studies are put into context by a group of introductory papers on the theory of archival description, the history of EAD, and its relationship to other standards like MARC and ISAD(G). A look to the future is also given by two very interesting papers on the likely effect of EAD on archival reference service, and on building archival information systems beyond legacy finding aids. The collection as a whole is indispensable for anyone interested in EAD, with only two caveats: the papers, for the most part, pre-date the availability of an XML version of EAD, and there is very little discussion of the barriers to implementing EAD in smaller institutions.

Toby Burrows, University of Western Australia

The Information Society: A Study of Continuity and Change John Feather 4th ed Facet Publishing 2004 220pp paperback ISBN 1-85604-497-1

In the fourth edition of this book John Feather, head of the Department of Information Science at Loughborough University in the UK, aims to further examine the nature of the new developments and rapid rate of change that are shaping the information society. In this edition he focuses on the world wide web and the paradigm shift it has brought about, that he believes - incorrectly in my opinion - will soon peak.

The work is intended for courses on information studies, librarianship and communications studies, but also aims to appeal to a wider public audience. The book is similar to others on the subject such as Making the Information Society: Experience, Consequences and Possibilities and Theories of the Information Society in that it examines history to explain the present information age as a natural progression of man's ingenuity and need to communicate.

The historical dimensions from cave painting to hieroglyphs, then onto the development of books are fully explored in further chapters as well as the more recent developments of the telephone, radio, television and the computer.

The part of the book that did disappoint me was the section titled 'the economic dimension', which should have been better called the economics of book publishing. A broader investigation of the economics of information would have better filled these pages and the next section that examined access to information showed a lack of specific technical knowledge in that area. Typically overstating the impact of a single 'frightening' computer virus did not do justice to the original nature of the internet and its multiple redundancy, capable of surviving a nuclear holocaust or modern disaster recovery standards adopted by industries and governments in the preparation for Y2K.

In the third section on 'the political dimension' the author examines quite successfully the concepts of information poverty as a global phenomena and the role of the state in protecting the ownership of information and its censorship when deemed contradictory to its own interests. Then the final section on 'the information professional' focuses on the paradigm shift in the skillset of librarians to become facilitators of information access rather than custodians of paper libraries.

Overall, the book will I feel will still remain an academic tome for students of subjects such as information studies and librarianship, rather than be of general interest in the changing information world around us, due to the over emphasis on the publishing industry and libraries.

Paul-John Stanners, Curtin University of Technology

University of Melbourne Library Journal Susan Reidy ed University of Melbourne Information Division ISSN 1320-1832

This journal is a delight to read - the 20 or so pages of the July 2004 issue (vol 9 no 1) contain articles about the 'Baker of Maldon' exhibition at the Baillieu Library and the George McArthur bequest that created the collection from which the exhibition was drawn, the unexpected discovery of an interesting find at the bottom of a box when the Grainger Museum was recently relocated, conservation treatment of a rare manuscript, and a tribute to the life of the first Melbourne University archivist, Frank Strahan.

The articles provide a glimpse into some fascinating aspects of the library's work, reflect the depth of its collections and let us know more about some of the treasures they hold. In this era of rapid electronic information, there's something very pleasant about reading a detailed description of the painstaking restoration of the 1662 Cambridge Manuscript, or looking at photographs of some of the original boxes Percy Grainger used to transport his belongings from New York to Melbourne.

The established and well-endowed University of Melbourne Library collection is obviously one we can only be envious of, but this journal does share with us some of its highlights and accomplishments.

Sue Grey-Smith, Curtin University of Technology