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Information management in public administration
328
Book reviews
F. W. Horton and D. A. Marchand (Editors). Information management in public administration. Arlington, Virginia: Information Resources Press, 1982. 588 pp. ISBN 0 87815 038 2. $46.50 plus $2.30 post and handling. The subtitle of this book is the clue to its rather specialized focus: ‘An introduction and resource guide to government in the information age’, and the book derives its aims from the work on the Commission on Federal Paperwork which culminated in Public Law 96-511 of 1980: ‘to reduce paperwork and enhance the economy and efficiency of the Government and the private sector by improving Federal information policymaking, and for other purposes. ’ This focus on government and the management of paperwork influences the selected readings, which are divided into eight sections: What is information management?; Managing the information process; Managing the information resources; Planning, budgeting, and accounting for information resources; Policy formulation, analysis and evaluation; Implications for organizational change; The impact on citizens; and Information and knowledge management. A set of conclusions and a resource guide, a list of training and education possibilities, journals, online services, and institutional sources of information. Not surprisingly, papers from the Commission are found in five out of the eight sections and the editors themselves contribute a further six papers. (Again, this is not surprising as Forest Horton is the acknowledged expert in information management, author or editor of five books on the subject.) For the rest-they come from a wide variety of sources, although only one is from a non-US author (Ronald Stamper) and only one is from the library/information science field (Thomas Childers). Some of the papers have been written in policy analysis’, by specially for the collection (e.g., ‘The role of information Mark E. Tompkins), and some are ‘classics’ (e.g., ‘Knowledge and power’, by Amitai Etzioni). Overall, the papers are of high quality and, in spite of the limitations suggested by the title, this collection will be of use to any kind of organization currently approaching the information management issue. TDW
M . Woodbury. revised 2nd edn. ArlingA guide to sources of educational information. Completely ton, Virginia: Information Resources Press, 1982. xiii + 430 pp. ISBN 0 87815 041 2. Unpriced. The author has set out to ‘. . . provide access to the major tools for locating information or researching education in the 1980s’. The emphasis is on American materials, though some non-American sources are included (e.g., British education index, the Register of educational research in the United Kingdom and Canadian education index). The work is organized into three main sections, (such as Finance and dealing with printed research tools, special subjects Special education), and non-print sources (including computergovernance, ized retrieval sources and state library services for educators). There is an introductory chapter of advice on research methods and a concluding one listing guides to writing up research results. The index contains entries for all subjects dealt with as well as authors and titles.
Book reviews
F. W. Horton and D. A. Marchand (Editors). Information management in public administration. Arlington, Virginia: Information Resources Press, 1982. 588 pp. ISBN 0 87815 038 2. $46.50 plus $2.30 post and handling. The subtitle of this book is the clue to its rather specialized focus: ‘An introduction and resource guide to government in the information age’, and the book derives its aims from the work on the Commission on Federal Paperwork which culminated in Public Law 96-511 of 1980: ‘to reduce paperwork and enhance the economy and efficiency of the Government and the private sector by improving Federal information policymaking, and for other purposes. ’ This focus on government and the management of paperwork influences the selected readings, which are divided into eight sections: What is information management?; Managing the information process; Managing the information resources; Planning, budgeting, and accounting for information resources; Policy formulation, analysis and evaluation; Implications for organizational change; The impact on citizens; and Information and knowledge management. A set of conclusions and a resource guide, a list of training and education possibilities, journals, online services, and institutional sources of information. Not surprisingly, papers from the Commission are found in five out of the eight sections and the editors themselves contribute a further six papers. (Again, this is not surprising as Forest Horton is the acknowledged expert in information management, author or editor of five books on the subject.) For the rest-they come from a wide variety of sources, although only one is from a non-US author (Ronald Stamper) and only one is from the library/information science field (Thomas Childers). Some of the papers have been written in policy analysis’, by specially for the collection (e.g., ‘The role of information Mark E. Tompkins), and some are ‘classics’ (e.g., ‘Knowledge and power’, by Amitai Etzioni). Overall, the papers are of high quality and, in spite of the limitations suggested by the title, this collection will be of use to any kind of organization currently approaching the information management issue. TDW
M . Woodbury. revised 2nd edn. ArlingA guide to sources of educational information. Completely ton, Virginia: Information Resources Press, 1982. xiii + 430 pp. ISBN 0 87815 041 2. Unpriced. The author has set out to ‘. . . provide access to the major tools for locating information or researching education in the 1980s’. The emphasis is on American materials, though some non-American sources are included (e.g., British education index, the Register of educational research in the United Kingdom and Canadian education index). The work is organized into three main sections, (such as Finance and dealing with printed research tools, special subjects Special education), and non-print sources (including computergovernance, ized retrieval sources and state library services for educators). There is an introductory chapter of advice on research methods and a concluding one listing guides to writing up research results. The index contains entries for all subjects dealt with as well as authors and titles.