Table of contents: issue50

Book Review: Digital Libraries - Integrating Content and Systems

editor — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Chris Awre finds a useful toolset to guide librarians and LIS students on the future use of IT to deliver their services.

We are not short of information on digital libraries and the technologies involved in building them. There have been multiple papers in many journals, of which Ariadne itself is key, many books and, now, many blogs enthusiastically informing us of the technical directions it is best to take. Nevertheless the constant evolution of available technologies, makes book publishing in the field a tricky business, risking irrelevance prior to release.

Book Review: Digital Preservation

editor — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Maureen Pennock reviews a release in Facet's Digital Futures series.

Digital Preservation is a promising volume that will prove useful to information professionals wishing to learn more about digital preservation, particularly in a cultural heritage context. This edited collection offers perspectives and overviews of different aspects of preservation, such as strategies, costs and metadata, by a select number of widely acknowledged experts. Other chapters cover Web archiving and Web archiving initiatives, European approaches to preservation, and digital preservation projects from around the globe.

Book Review: Google Hacks

editor — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Phil Bradley looks at a work offering programming 'know-how' to create resources that will do things with the search engine that might otherwise prove difficult or impossible.

The subtitle for the book is 'Tips and tools for finding and using the world's information' which does neatly sum up its content. This is the third edition, so it is clearly popular, and has been updated to include information and hacks for Google maps, talk and desktop. As with any O'Reilly title, it is very clearly laid out, easy to read, with extremely good illustrations, small icons to indicate tips or notes of caution, plus an in-depth and thorough index. Each hack is clearly indicated by typography, an icon and the top corner of each page indicates the numbered hack.

Book Review: Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography

editor — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Nigel Goldsmith reviews a new book on digital photography by the accomplished American landscape photographer Stephen Johnson.

Although there are some hints on the cover, it isn't until you scan the contents page that you can fully appreciate the scope of this book. Over the course of seven sections Stephen Johnson's book leads the reader on a journey: from the invention of the early electronic fax and cathode ray tube in the 1800s; through his own encounters as a pioneering digital photographer; and ending with his personal digital imaging manifesto.