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Basics of Information and Documentation Practice
World Patent hfiwmation, Vol. 19, No. 3, p. 237, 1997 0 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
Pergamon
Printed in Great Britain
PII:SO172-2190(97)00025-2
Book Review Grundlagen der Praktischen Information und Dokumentation (Basics of Information and Documentation Practice) Edited by M. Buder et al. and published by K. G. Sam Verlag, Munich (1997); 1069 pp., A5 paperback; ISBN 3-598-l 1310-2; price not known (in German). This is the fourth edition of a book that first appeared in 1972 and the previous edition was published in 1990. Since that time, constant changes and improvements in technology as well as political changes in Germany have demanded a major revision of this impressive and respected work. As the title and origin suggests, this book is designed as an introduction to professional information work in the German-speaking countries. Weighing in at well over a kilogram and with more than 1000 pages of compact print, one might think that this new edition of information basics could leave no stone unturned. In its way that is true but there are so many stones of information to turn today that not all topics can be provided with an in-depth treatment. That in no way criticises the approach of this book which, after all, does set out to provide a basic grounding in all aspects of information and documentation (I&D). This suits it to the needs of anyone starting a degree course on information science although, obviously, a basic knowledge of German is required. With so much information about information packed into its very many pages, one needs a good index but this is only about eight pages and seems inadequate at first sight for such a masterly work. However, the list of contents and subject headings at the front of the book
runs to twenty-six useful pages and there are five further pages of abbreviations. The result is that general subjects are quite quick and easy to find.
timely under fragen issues
There are seven main sections and each sub-section is written by a separate contributor and concluded by useful cited literature, often very comprehensive. The first section covers the basic subject of I&D, especially as it relates to Germany today, and is followed by methods and processes of I&D (e.g. document analysis, and storage classification, indexing, machine translation). A section on information services covers the traditional library, on-line, statistics, office communications and electronic document delivery. The Internet and World Wide Web get an introduction here but such fastmoving topics get rapidly out of date in such a work as this and most of the descriptions relate to the situation as it was in 199.5. However, as for all sections of the book, the basics remain valid and informative. The next section is on information systems and includes audiovisual, patent and chemical information. The world of patent information is represented by only 17 dedicated pages in this volume but it does serve to remind us just how big the whole world of information really is.
The final section is on tendencies and future trends for I&D which takes the form of a five-way discussion where it is useful to know that the “Information Highway” translates into “Datenautobahn” - obvious when you think about it. With so much more information available more quickly, it seems problems and difficulties will increase. A philosophical treatment of the knowledge, relationship between information and uncertainty through the ages leads to ideas of what might be necessary for a realistic information Utopia. Even the philosopher’s stone has not been left unturned in this book.
A section on technical aspects follows and deals with hardware and software but also includes a detailed and up-to-date subsection on communication networks and on data communication including Internet protocols. Next comes a major section on I&D infrastructure which discusses in some depth the economics (costs) and value to a business of information activities as part of the so-called “information economy”. The development of information management is also covered and should help people new to the subject to understand that information does not look after itself. This leads conveniently to a chapter on the level and method of I&D training in Germany. A
chapter on copyright is included the all-important heading ‘Rechtsder Informationswirtschaft’ (legal in the information business).
The expert in any one particular tield will still find much to learn about the other aspects of information and, as modem technical German is full of English-based words, even the reader with a limited understanding of German should still be able to gain much from this book. Thus, the meet discussions on reader will management”, “outsourcing”, “lean “publishing-on-demand” and “computerhardware” (from the real basics, for anyone who has never even seen a computer before) as well as a detailed treatment of “Elektronisches Publizieren”. In the past, much has been said about the (mythical) “paperless office”. The last words in this book give food for thought for those hungry for change, “Ohne Papier geht im Buero fast nichts; mit weniger Papier geht aber vie1 mehr!” (Without paper, an office hardly works; with less paper, a lot more works!) Recommended for all those who want to learn something about everything to do with information and documentation in the widest sense, and that ought to be all of us.
R. F. Appleton (Senior Patent Analyst Intellectual Property Services)
237
Pergamon
Printed in Great Britain
PII:SO172-2190(97)00025-2
Book Review Grundlagen der Praktischen Information und Dokumentation (Basics of Information and Documentation Practice) Edited by M. Buder et al. and published by K. G. Sam Verlag, Munich (1997); 1069 pp., A5 paperback; ISBN 3-598-l 1310-2; price not known (in German). This is the fourth edition of a book that first appeared in 1972 and the previous edition was published in 1990. Since that time, constant changes and improvements in technology as well as political changes in Germany have demanded a major revision of this impressive and respected work. As the title and origin suggests, this book is designed as an introduction to professional information work in the German-speaking countries. Weighing in at well over a kilogram and with more than 1000 pages of compact print, one might think that this new edition of information basics could leave no stone unturned. In its way that is true but there are so many stones of information to turn today that not all topics can be provided with an in-depth treatment. That in no way criticises the approach of this book which, after all, does set out to provide a basic grounding in all aspects of information and documentation (I&D). This suits it to the needs of anyone starting a degree course on information science although, obviously, a basic knowledge of German is required. With so much information about information packed into its very many pages, one needs a good index but this is only about eight pages and seems inadequate at first sight for such a masterly work. However, the list of contents and subject headings at the front of the book
runs to twenty-six useful pages and there are five further pages of abbreviations. The result is that general subjects are quite quick and easy to find.
timely under fragen issues
There are seven main sections and each sub-section is written by a separate contributor and concluded by useful cited literature, often very comprehensive. The first section covers the basic subject of I&D, especially as it relates to Germany today, and is followed by methods and processes of I&D (e.g. document analysis, and storage classification, indexing, machine translation). A section on information services covers the traditional library, on-line, statistics, office communications and electronic document delivery. The Internet and World Wide Web get an introduction here but such fastmoving topics get rapidly out of date in such a work as this and most of the descriptions relate to the situation as it was in 199.5. However, as for all sections of the book, the basics remain valid and informative. The next section is on information systems and includes audiovisual, patent and chemical information. The world of patent information is represented by only 17 dedicated pages in this volume but it does serve to remind us just how big the whole world of information really is.
The final section is on tendencies and future trends for I&D which takes the form of a five-way discussion where it is useful to know that the “Information Highway” translates into “Datenautobahn” - obvious when you think about it. With so much more information available more quickly, it seems problems and difficulties will increase. A philosophical treatment of the knowledge, relationship between information and uncertainty through the ages leads to ideas of what might be necessary for a realistic information Utopia. Even the philosopher’s stone has not been left unturned in this book.
A section on technical aspects follows and deals with hardware and software but also includes a detailed and up-to-date subsection on communication networks and on data communication including Internet protocols. Next comes a major section on I&D infrastructure which discusses in some depth the economics (costs) and value to a business of information activities as part of the so-called “information economy”. The development of information management is also covered and should help people new to the subject to understand that information does not look after itself. This leads conveniently to a chapter on the level and method of I&D training in Germany. A
chapter on copyright is included the all-important heading ‘Rechtsder Informationswirtschaft’ (legal in the information business).
The expert in any one particular tield will still find much to learn about the other aspects of information and, as modem technical German is full of English-based words, even the reader with a limited understanding of German should still be able to gain much from this book. Thus, the meet discussions on reader will management”, “outsourcing”, “lean “publishing-on-demand” and “computerhardware” (from the real basics, for anyone who has never even seen a computer before) as well as a detailed treatment of “Elektronisches Publizieren”. In the past, much has been said about the (mythical) “paperless office”. The last words in this book give food for thought for those hungry for change, “Ohne Papier geht im Buero fast nichts; mit weniger Papier geht aber vie1 mehr!” (Without paper, an office hardly works; with less paper, a lot more works!) Recommended for all those who want to learn something about everything to do with information and documentation in the widest sense, and that ought to be all of us.
R. F. Appleton (Senior Patent Analyst Intellectual Property Services)
237