Useful, if somewhat unbalanced.

Useful, if somewhat unbalanced. Poulter, Alan; Hiom, Debra; and McMenemy, David. The library andinformation professional's internet companion. London: FacetPublishing, 2005. 200p 34.95 [pounds sterling] soft ISBN ISBNabbr.International Standard Book NumberISBNInternational Standard Book NumberISBNn abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m1856045099 This easy-to-read book consists of ten chapters introducing andexplaining the internet, its features and applications and the effect onlibrarians and library service provision. As the authors say in theirintroduction, libraries are well-placed to support users in using theInternet and in discovering information, and this book will helpinformation practitioners and library and information students to ensurethat they are informed on the key issues and technologies. The book works as a dip-into resource to consult when wanting toanswer a particular question, such as 'what is ftp and how can I doit?', and it can also be read through from cover to cover. Smallinformation boxes are provided at relevant points offering recommendedleads to follow up on the internet for further exploration. Chapter 8 onNetworking Technologies is available to read from the publisher'swebsite at http://www. facetpublishing.co.uk/images/pouher_chap8.pdf.This sample chapter gives the reader a good indication of the pleasantstyle and the extensive range of information covered in the book. Although the content is UK-based, reflecting the authors'location, the book still provides interest for those in other countries.The historical and present-day coverage of service developments and thenational library initiatives offer useful comparison checks with what ishappening in other countries. However, the length of some of the chapters in proportion to theirrelevance and importance in the professional work of a librarian couldbe questioned. For example, the two large chapters devoted to writingweb pages and designing and publishing web sites, when there are manyother books and web sites covering this sort of information at the levelreached in this book, seem to overshadow o��ver��shad��ow?tr.v. o��ver��shad��owed, o��ver��shad��ow��ing, o��ver��shad��ows1. To cast a shadow over; darken or obscure.2. To make insignificant by comparison; dominate. the comparatively smallerchapters on the newer technologies which are of interest specifically tolibrarians. For instance, RSS (Really Simple Syndication) A syndication format that was developed by Netscape in 1999 and became very popular for aggregating updates to blogs and the news sites. RSS has also stood for "Rich Site Summary" and "RDF Site Summary. feeds are covered in just one shortparagraph. In Australia, several government sites provide good materialvia RSS, such as notification of the latest releases of nationalstatistics and parliamentary reports. Incorporating these sorts ofinformation feeds into library portals and intranets are a useful way ofpushing out up-to-date accurate information, and explanations on how toprovide this sort of service would have been useful. A couple of gripes gripe?v. griped, grip��ing, gripesv.intr.1. Informal To complain naggingly or petulantly; grumble.2. To have sharp pains in the bowels.v.tr.1. arise from the book itself. The first concernslayout: as the authors frequently cross-refer to other chapters, itwould have been helpful to have had the chapter numbers printed at thetop of the page along with the title, to enable an easy flick-on to thesection mentioned. The second is price: it is understandable that asmall specialised publisher like Facet Publishing needs to recoup recoupTo sell an asset at a price sufficient to recover the original outlay or to offset a previous loss. costs,but to charge 35 [pounds sterling] for this sort of paperback isexcessive, especially considering that the presumed main target audiencewould he students--I would have expected something at just over half theprice. Notwithstanding these complaints, for those wanting a friendly mixof information, history, explanations, best practice do's anddon'ts, this is a worthwhile book to have on your shelves. Marie-Laure Bouchet, NSW NSWNew South WalesNoun 1. NSW - the agency that provides units to conduct unconventional and counter-guerilla warfareNaval Special Warfare Department of Commerce