Digital Libraries (Digital Libraries and Electronic Publishing Series) Book

These days we seem to be creating information faster than we can store it, but the near future is looking bright. Cornell University professor William Y Arms offers a programme for that future in Digital Libraries, a synthesis of library and computer sciences that presents the history and current developments in each field with special emphasis on their interactions.Since the book necessarily must appeal to a broad spectrum of professionals, any given reader will find some parts elementary, but Arms clearly maps the common ground and much of the text will appeal to all. Chapters covering the basics of information management, the Internet, security, archives and retrieval bridge the traditional books-and-shelves library systems and the often jury-rigged information architecture developed through 40 years of computer use.While the text is laden with plenty of sidebars that contain historical information or definitions--crucial for professionals entering the interdisciplinary zone--they tend to break up the flow unacceptably. Although it's important to understand both MARC codes and TCP/IP protocols, it is best for each reader to decide what supplementary information is most needed.Digital Libraries is an ambitious and important book--if we are to develop truly efficient and accessible information management systems, everyone concerned must understand their shared history and move forward as one. --Rob Lightner, Amazon.comRead More