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Investigative methods in library and information science: An introduction
Book Reviews
401
because the book itself is extremely uneven. Its figures and tables, for instance, are extremely difficult to read. One figure (Fig. 3.3) even seems to be mislabled, although it is hard to tell. In some areas, the book is excellent, giving detailed discussions of such things as centralized versus decentralized control and discussing vendors in excellent detail. It presents a particularly clear picture of the European situation. In other areas, however, it is quite poor. It discusses such technical options as printer technology in great detail while paying little attention to the fact that these are usually secondary factors in making equipment decisions. The primary options available on Telex, facsimile, and other forms are hardly discussed. The book’s unevenness probably stems from two factors. First, it does not appear to have been written for a specific audience. It is most useful for large firms, but the authors have failed to aim it precisely at any group, so the choice of material fits no group of readers very well. The second factor is this book was written while electronic mail was simpler than it is today. The first edition was copyrighted in 1980, and while additional information was added for the 1982 edition, the basic structure and content were probably set already. All in all, the book’s treatment of electronic mail could best be characterized as “light”. It is a necessary piece for the bookshelf of someone interested in electronic mail, but it is not a centerpiece. Associate
RAYMOND R. PANKO~
Projksor,
College qj” Business Administration
University of Hawaii HI 96822, U.S.A.
Investigative F.
Methods in Library and Information
WILFRID LANCASTER. Information
$30.50 + $2.50 handling.
Resources
Science: An Introduction. JOHN MARTYN and Press, Arlington, Virginia (198 1). 266 pp.
ISBN O-87815-035-8.
This book is not a conventional textbook of research methods. It is a highly pragmatic account of a variety of methods and approaches to investigating library and information services, based very largely on the direct or indirect experience of the authors. Therein lie both the strengths and weaknesses of the book. First the strengths. The authors’ combined experience, from direct involvement or close association in research and development in the broadest sense, covers a very considerable span. The major detectable bias is towards pragmatism rather than theory, towards investigations rather than experiment, towards (as they declare in their introduction) insight-oriented rather than prooforiented studies. Such a bias is nothing if not admirable, and the book is packed full of basic unostentatious practical advice. On the other side, the selection of techniques discussed, while wide, clearly has limitations. For example, there is no mention of any form of participant observation. Perhaps more serious is the lack of interest in anything resembling either a theory or a formal approach to data. The authors eschew any discussion of statistical method or experimental design and while it is refreshing not to see the usually obligatory account of basic statistics, it seems that the authors do not always appreciate the importance of some degree of statistical insight. The very occasional mention of any kind of significance test does not suggest that the authors look at data critically from the statistical point of view. Since they look at data critically from many other points of view, that seems to be a gap in their armoury. The related distrust of theory seems to me more serious still. The authors tend to march directly between data and decisions, without considering the possible mediation of a theory or model. Of course this is not possible: data can only be interpreted in the framework of a particular model or world view. and if the model is not made as explicit as possible, it is surely implicit, perhaps to the detriment of the value of any research undertaking. In their robust common-sense approach, the authors seem to forget that common-sense is rarely more than conventional wisdom. Nevertheless, I welcome this book, and will make use of it is teaching research methods to information scientists. City University London
STEPHEN ROBERTSON
401
because the book itself is extremely uneven. Its figures and tables, for instance, are extremely difficult to read. One figure (Fig. 3.3) even seems to be mislabled, although it is hard to tell. In some areas, the book is excellent, giving detailed discussions of such things as centralized versus decentralized control and discussing vendors in excellent detail. It presents a particularly clear picture of the European situation. In other areas, however, it is quite poor. It discusses such technical options as printer technology in great detail while paying little attention to the fact that these are usually secondary factors in making equipment decisions. The primary options available on Telex, facsimile, and other forms are hardly discussed. The book’s unevenness probably stems from two factors. First, it does not appear to have been written for a specific audience. It is most useful for large firms, but the authors have failed to aim it precisely at any group, so the choice of material fits no group of readers very well. The second factor is this book was written while electronic mail was simpler than it is today. The first edition was copyrighted in 1980, and while additional information was added for the 1982 edition, the basic structure and content were probably set already. All in all, the book’s treatment of electronic mail could best be characterized as “light”. It is a necessary piece for the bookshelf of someone interested in electronic mail, but it is not a centerpiece. Associate
RAYMOND R. PANKO~
Projksor,
College qj” Business Administration
University of Hawaii HI 96822, U.S.A.
Investigative F.
Methods in Library and Information
WILFRID LANCASTER. Information
$30.50 + $2.50 handling.
Resources
Science: An Introduction. JOHN MARTYN and Press, Arlington, Virginia (198 1). 266 pp.
ISBN O-87815-035-8.
This book is not a conventional textbook of research methods. It is a highly pragmatic account of a variety of methods and approaches to investigating library and information services, based very largely on the direct or indirect experience of the authors. Therein lie both the strengths and weaknesses of the book. First the strengths. The authors’ combined experience, from direct involvement or close association in research and development in the broadest sense, covers a very considerable span. The major detectable bias is towards pragmatism rather than theory, towards investigations rather than experiment, towards (as they declare in their introduction) insight-oriented rather than prooforiented studies. Such a bias is nothing if not admirable, and the book is packed full of basic unostentatious practical advice. On the other side, the selection of techniques discussed, while wide, clearly has limitations. For example, there is no mention of any form of participant observation. Perhaps more serious is the lack of interest in anything resembling either a theory or a formal approach to data. The authors eschew any discussion of statistical method or experimental design and while it is refreshing not to see the usually obligatory account of basic statistics, it seems that the authors do not always appreciate the importance of some degree of statistical insight. The very occasional mention of any kind of significance test does not suggest that the authors look at data critically from the statistical point of view. Since they look at data critically from many other points of view, that seems to be a gap in their armoury. The related distrust of theory seems to me more serious still. The authors tend to march directly between data and decisions, without considering the possible mediation of a theory or model. Of course this is not possible: data can only be interpreted in the framework of a particular model or world view. and if the model is not made as explicit as possible, it is surely implicit, perhaps to the detriment of the value of any research undertaking. In their robust common-sense approach, the authors seem to forget that common-sense is rarely more than conventional wisdom. Nevertheless, I welcome this book, and will make use of it is teaching research methods to information scientists. City University London
STEPHEN ROBERTSON