Book Reviews

Advancing Knowledge and the Knowledge Economy. Edited by the OECD, discusses the work of the OECD on cultivating knowledge
Brian Kahin and Dominique Foray. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2006. economies. Ásgeirsdóttir puts forth four simple, yet salient, messages
504 pp. $38.00 (ISBN 0–262–61214–3). to guide the development of knowledge economies. The messages are:
(a) Good economic fundamentals are critical for stimulating knowl-
Developed nations, and developing nations, are in the midst of edge economies; (b) development of knowledge economies is depen-
transforming their economies from industrial economies to knowledge dent on four pillars—innovation, new technologies, human capital, and
economies. These transitions result in economies where knowledge (in enterprise dynamics; (c) globalization impacts the four pillars of
all its forms: human capital, technology, innovation, and even value knowledge in significant ways; and (d) there is a need for innovations
networks) are the central and critical sources of competitive advan- in organizational practices and knowledge management to realize the
tages. Knowledge becomes that which is centrally traded and ex- benefits of the knowledge economy.
changed, created and communicated, leveraged and transformed. The next section of the book, “Measuring Knowledge,” contains
Worldwide continued interest in the field of knowledge management is two chapters. Chapter 4, by Fred Gault, addresses the role of official
testament to the realization that there is a need for critical thinking on statistics in measuring the economic effects of knowledge. He dis-
how to advance our knowledge about managing, living, and thriving cusses challenges faced when using official statistics to measure
in these new economies. Advancing Knowledge and the Knowledge knowledge-based economies. Specifically, aspects of measurement
Economy pulls together a collection of cutting-edge thinking on critical must include the knowledge activities of generation (through research
issues related to thriving in knowledge economies. Topics covered and development, invention, innovation, use of technology and prac-
include measuring knowledge, knowledge communities, the changing tices, and human resource development) and linkages (sources of
role of institutions in knowledge economies, the role of place in knowl- knowledge and networks of knowledge), followed by knowledge out-
edge economies, new models of innovation, control, and cooperation, comes, effects of institutions and regimes, and learning and doing.
and emerging cyber infrastructures. This book grew out of support for Gault concludes with a call for more research into the development of
conferences by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Devel- measures for linkages and outcomes of knowledge to better understand
opment (OECD), and the Digital Society and Technology Program and the contribution of knowledge to economies. Chapter 5, “Assessing In-
the Digital Government Program of the National Scientific Foundation. novation Capacity,” by Reinhilde Veugelers, evaluates the Lisbon strat-
The book has seven sections and 25 chapters, which I only briefly egy developed to enhance the development of knowledge economies
review here. in the European Union. The chapter also critiques the measures used
Three chapters set the stage for the book’s motivation, the key to evaluate progress toward development of an innovation capacity of
themes covered, and the OECD’s work on transforming economies to nations. Finally, the chapter concludes with recommendations for
knowledge economies. Brian Kahin opens the book with a discussion enhancing horizontal and vertical policy coordination and management
of the prospects for a knowledge policy. Kahin’s main argument is that of the policy framework.
while there is a real need for knowledge policy, the transformational “Knowledge Communities,” the next section, contains three chap-
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effects of knowledge economies are too new to understand their indi- ters. Chapter 6, by Bengt-Ake Lundvall, discusses why we need to pay
vidual or broad societal impacts. Discussions of knowledge policy thus serious attention to learning within communities and the microsocial
remain balkanized and isolated. Knowledge policy discussions con- capital dynamics of community-based interactions when measuring
tinue to remain fragmented across academic disciplines, and there is a economic performance of knowledge economies. Lundvall’s concep-
real need to take a holistic perspective at the issue of knowledge policy. tual argument links learning by doing and learning by using to macro-
Kahin outlines several arguments for a holistic perspective, such as the economic outcomes. Chapter 7, by Tom Schuller, also of a conceptual
improved patterns of knowledge dissemination across geographical nature, focuses on knowledge networks using a social capital lens.
and national boundaries, advances in cyber infrastructure, the blurring Schuller examines the role of networks and the social capital they pos-
of boundaries between what is open (or public) versus controlled/ sess in terms of volume of knowledge accumulated, knowledge acces-
closed (or private) knowledge, and the developments in knowledge sibility, and processes that govern the validation of knowledge. The
markets and instruments to trade knowledge. Dominique Foray, the final chapter in this section is “Knowing Communities in Organization”
co-editor of the book, lays out in the second chapter the major themes by Patrick Cohendet. The chapter begins by outlining the characteris-
covered by contributors of the book. He addresses the deployment of tics, properties, and limits of knowing communities in organizations.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as knowledge The manner in which knowing communities interact with each other
instruments. This is followed by a discussion of the peculiarities of in- and the firm (i.e., the formal hierarchy) is outlined next. Finally,
stitutions that create and transmit knowledge. Issues such as the patent Cohendet looks at the innovative capacities of these communities.
system, the role of incentives for inventors, knowledge spillovers, The next section discusses the changing role of institutions. In
trust-building mechanisms, division of labor, and the role of universi- “Epistemic Infrastructure in the Rise of the Knowledge Economy,”
ties are addressed here. Other themes are the co-evolution of technolo- Margaret Hedstrom and John L. King trace the changing nature of epis-
gies and institutions, knowledge division and dispersion, saliency of temic infrastructures, most notably describing the changes to libraries
public knowledge, and open and distributed systems of knowledge. and museums. Hedstrom and King describe the challenges faced by
Foray ends the chapter with a call for the development of an evidence- epistemic infrastructures due to economic pressures, competition
based knowledge policy. Ásgeirsdóttir, Deputy Secretary General of from new service providers (e.g., the online search engines and online
booksellers), changing customer preferences and expectations, and
changes to the way in which information is represented in tangible ob-
© 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. jects. The authors rightly note that these changes should not be viewed

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, 59(2):331–335, 2008
as competitive threats; rather, they offer complementary services to en- Thomke outlines the need for experimentation in discovery—
able and leverage traditional epistemic infrastructures such as libraries. especially the need to learn from experiments. He then describes the
Chapter 10, by Robin Cowan, outlines the role of universities in the changing economics of experimentation which have been brought
knowledge economy. Cowan begins the chapter by conducting a his- about through advances in technologies. In keeping with comments by
toric tour of the changing role of university missions and goals from von Hippel, Thomke argues for shifting the locus of experiments from
historic times to the present. Cowan argues that universities must play firms to users. Advances in the construction and deployment of user
a more critical role in the development of public knowledge, beyond toolkits have made it feasible for users to be involved in the experi-
simply imparting vocational skills to students. The public knowledge mentation process in a more engaged manner. In chapter 17, W. Edward
created by universities must include the development of an “educated” Steinmueller carries the discussion on user involvement to its next nat-
workforce capable of creating, transferring, and consuming knowledge— ural stage: the management of innovation platforms. Platforms, for
thereby providing labor mobility. Cowan also discusses the research products and services, have been around for a while. What has changed
aim of the university and points to a need for embracing a system in recent times is the degree of modularity, ease of assembly (and dis-
model for knowledge channeling. Chapter 11, “The Impact of ICT on assembly), reuse of components, and emergence of standards, which
Tertiary Education,” by Kurt Larsen and Stephan Vincent-Lancrin, has made the management of platforms less cumbersome. Steinmueller
looks at the role of e-learning technologies. Specifically, the authors ex- focuses a majority of his comments on the role played by standards in
amine the role of e-learning techniques in furthering tertiary education. platform development and maintenance. The final chapter in this sec-
An innovation cycle for e-learning is outlined as well as challenges for tion is by Carliss Y. Baldwin and Kim B. Clark. The authors focus on
developing sustainable e-learning programs. The authors make the rad- the issue of designs, the instruction set crafted out of knowledge that
ical claim that e-learning techniques might “live up to its more radical transforms resources into consumable products and services of value.
promises in the future and really lead to the invention of new ways of The authors argue that the concept of designs (i.e., how they are archi-
teaching, learning, and interacting with a knowledge community made tected, deployed, completed, and generate value, etc.) is significant
up of learners and teachers” (p. 167). I remain skeptical of this, but am enough to warrant a call “to integrate the study of designs across disci-
cautiously hopeful. The final chapter in this section is by David Mowery plines and make them the focus of unified scientific research in their
and Bhaven Sampat. The authors discuss the Bayh–Dole Act of 1980, own right” (p. 300). I could not agree more.
which has been held as a model for piece of legislation geared at pro- The next section, “Models of Control and Cooperation,” contains
moting university–industry technology transfer and the international five chapters. Chapter 19, by Dietmar Harhoff, details the current
effort to imitate the act. The authors rightly note that even though the dynamics of the patent system, namely the issue of quantity versus
contributions (i.e., effects) of the acts on stimulating and sustaining quality, and calls for policy changes to improve the incentive system
industry–technology transfer have been shown to be overstated, this associated with gaining patent rights. Iain M. Cockburn, in chapter 20,
has not stopped other countries from trying to implement systems with conducts an excellent exposé of the issues of blurred boundaries be-
similar goals. tween open scientific resources and commercial exploitation of knowl-
“Knowledge and Place,” the next section, comprises two chapters. edge using the case of biomedical research. I would venture to say that
Andrew Wyckoff and Martin Schaaper address the dynamics of global Cockburn’s findings are applicable to other high-technology fields
competition for highly skilled workers. This chapter is my favorite where valuable knowledge sources are in high demand, operate au-
from the collection. The authors rightly note that the United States is a tonomously for the most part, and are not amenable to operating under
nation at risk due to its weak preparation of students in areas of reading, traditional closed models of innovation. In the next chapter, Josh
mathematics, and science. Until recently, the true extent of this weak- Lerner and Jean Tirole build on the comments of Cockburn by address-
ness was not felt as the United States recruited and attracted global ing the economics of technology sharing. The authors provide a brief
highly skilled talent to its economy. The chapter discusses the current historic overview of the open-source software movement that has
state of U.S. educational programs and contrasts them with their global called into question several fundamental economic theories. In particu-
partners such as Japan and India. The authors call for serious policy in- lar, they discuss the manners of interactions of these skilled knowledge
tervention to increase the competitive power of the United States workers, the creation and sharing of intellectual property, and community
through better development of highly skilled knowledge workers and governance mechanisms. The authors then raise several key questions
better policies for enticing foreign talent to stay within the United on open source, such as contributors’ motivations, how to compete with
States [e.g., better immigration policies (Anyone who has gone through open source, how to devise public policies toward open source, the
the skilled-worker immigration processes of the United States can at- effects of patents on open source, the scalability of the open-source phi-
test to the need to improve and optimize this age-old system.)] Chapter losophy beyond software, and how firms should realize the benefits of
14, by Jan Fagerberg, discusses the role of knowledge in enabling for open source. Chapter 22, by Arti K. Rai, discusses the dynamics of
development across the globe. The chapter discusses the current think- open and collaborative research in the context of biomedical research.
ing by leading scholars on the role of knowledge for development. This The field of biomedical research is undergoing fundamental changes;
thinking is then reoriented and questioned, using experiences from de- there are serious pressures to move from a secretive and closed model
velopment efforts in Europe and Asia, and a refined conceptual frame- of research to one that is open and collaborative. The complexity of the
work is presented. The author calls for the development of institutional problems being examined, the need for sophisticated tool sets, and
instruments to compensate for knowledge exploitation to compensate large-scale datasets all have put pressure on scientists to share their
for the disadvantages faced by developing countries. research, beyond the exchange of results through journal publications
In “New Models of Innovation,” Eric von Hippel opens the section or published discoveries. Brian Fitzgerald closes out this section by
by discussing the democratizing of innovation. As noted by von Hippel, examining the evolution of open-source software. He discusses how
the users of products and services are able to innovate for themselves, the open-source model called for a shift in the software engineering
and sometimes even better than the creators of the products and ser- tensions, and what one might envision the dynamics of the next gener-
vices. He focuses his remarks on the need for organizations to take ation of open-source software movement to look like for software
users seriously in the innovation process. He discusses issues such as developers.
the dilemma of innovate-or-buy decisions faced by users, the low-cost The final section of the book contains two chapters on the topic of
innovation niches the users provide, rationales behind users freely re- cyber infrastructure. Paul A. David discusses the challenges faced in
vealing their innovations, and the dynamics of innovation communi- leveraging our rather technically sophisticated cyber infrastructure for
ties, all with the goal of highlighting the need to adapt current policy to scientific collaboration. David rightly notes technical challenges that
consider users more seriously and deeply in the innovation process. will not prevent us from exploiting the infrastructure for scientific de-
Stefan Thomke, a former student of von Hippel, discusses the role of velopment, but social and policy, also known as the soft, issues that
experimentation in innovation and technology change in chapter 16. need to be addressed. C. Suzanne Iacono and Peter A. Freeman close

332 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY—January 15, 2008
DOI: 10.1002/asi
the book with a discussion of sociotechnical challenges the scientific In Chapter 2, David Bollier does an excellent job illustrating the
and policy communities will face as the cyber infrastructure continues growth of the commons paradigm. This chapter succinctly demon-
to evolve. strates that even though commons may differ across domains (e.g., en-
Overall, this is a highly dense, interesting, and current collection of vironmental, technological, etc), the paradigm remains intact and has
thinking on the topic of knowledge economies. I enjoyed reading this been growing in popularity.
book. This book will be an excellent supplemental text for graduate The final chapter of this section is also authored by the editors. This
courses in the areas of information systems, group and team studies, chapter thoughtfully describes an analytical framework, The Institutional
knowledge management, industrial economics, and technology man- Analysis and Development (IAD) framework. The IAD framework pro-
agement. The book is organized well, and the chapters flow logically. vides a lens whereby anyone can dissect the various issues and dilemmas
The book can be appreciated by both novices and experts in a wide facing a commons. The authors analyze the characteristics of a resource.
array of disciplines, and its readership could include students, re- Ultimately, a common, must have a resource that is shared and made
searchers, policy makers, and even curious minds who have an interest available to all. Attributes of the community and the rules used to govern
in economic development. While the book is quite dense already, I the resource are described next. The framework then outlines the action
would have liked more references made to the mainstream knowledge arena in which the role of actors and the various situations (dilemmas)
management, knowledge organization, and even anthropological stud- they face are considered. Patterns of interaction and the consequent
ies on the development of economies. These references are absent for outcomes and evaluation criteria complete the framework.
the most part, and this is a major shortcoming. At the very least, I would Part II comprises three chapters and addresses the issues of protect-
have expected the editor to state, even if only briefly, why that literature ing the knowledge commons. Nancy Kranich, in Chapter 4, describes
was ignored or not considered salient to the arguments laid forth in the the forces that are threatening the sustainability of knowledge com-
book. The other concern I found is that the collection of authors, each mons and also negatively impacting scholarly communications. She
of whom is highly accomplished and noteworthy, did not represent a proposes several strategies (e.g., open access to scholarly journals, the
globally representative group. I would have liked comments from au- development of sustainable digital repositories and digital libraries,
thors in knowledge economies that have not yet developed or are strug- community-based preservation efforts, and the development of learn-
gling with the issues to which the book points. Bringing the perspective ing and information communities) to counter these forces through the
of these authors in the book would have made it a more comprehensive engaged collective action of librarians and scholars. Kranich also ad-
and engaging read. These limitations aside, I still feel energized about dresses the need to change the role of research libraries to meet the cur-
my own research agenda, in the area of knowledge management and rent and future needs of knowledge commons. As Kranich notes,
complex informational problems, and the zeal for doing research that “More importantly, they [the libraries] must tell a compelling story
furthers the development of sustainable knowledge economies. The ed- about the value of a new scheme for managing their intellectual assets.
itors should be commended for doing an excellent job assembling this Rather than relying solely on an uphill battle to counter enclosure, they
valuable scholarly product. must also offer a fresh approach to constructing a fundamental institu-
tion for the digital age . . . they must use language that explains how the
extraordinary assets invested in advancing knowledge can reap more
Kevin C. Desouza benefits for scholarship and society” (p. 109).
The Information School The next chapter, “Mertoniansm Unbound? Imagining Free, Decen-
University of Washington tralized Access to Most Cultural and Scientific Material,” is authored
Seattle, WA 98195–2840 by James Boyle, a leading scholar on knowledge commons. Boyle
E-mail: [email protected] examines the impact of open access to all kinds of cultural and scien-
tific materials by individuals and groups outside the academic confines
Published online 10 October 2007 in Wiley InterScience
and what effect this might have on scholarship, science, and culture.
(www.interscience.wiley.com).
I particularly found his notes on incorporating users into the design
DOI: 10.1002/asi.20741
process of commons quite salient. As noted by Boyle, seldom do librar-
ians, especially those involved with the design of technologies and
Understanding Knowledge as a Commons: From Theory to Practice. digital libraries, involve users into the creation process. As a result, the
Edited by Charlotte Hess and Elinor Ostrom. Cambridge, MA: MIT designs of these artifacts seldom meet the needs of the user communi-
Press, 2006. 381 pp. $36.00 (ISBN 0-262-08357-4). ties and are often abandoned. Boyle talks about why there is a need to
involve users as designers in the creation of commons and to be more
Understanding Knowledge as Commons tackles the dynamics of appreciative of the knowledge and information they might possess.
managing knowledge as a collective resource. Although the exploration Chapter 6, by Donald J. Waters, addresses the issue of knowledge
of national resources (e.g., wildlife, forests, etc) as common resources preservation. Specifically, Waters tackles citation in a digital world. In
has a rich tradition in the economic and public policy literatures, the today’s world, it would be rare to find an academic article, report, or
examination of knowledge (and information) as commons has been a book without Internet sources. Waters tackles the issue of how knowl-
recent line of inquiry. The study of information as commons and espe- edge commons are impacted by these citations not being available at
cially information infrastructures (e.g., the Internet) as common future times or not being available in their original form as cited by an
resources can be traced to the mid-1990s and to the work of Bernardo author (as web pages might change or links may be broken). Waters
Huberman, Rajan M. Lukose, and Howard Rheingold, among others. outlines several models for knowledge preservation that outline roles
The authors make a critical contribution to this stream of research by and responsibilities of the producer, archive, and the consumer.
examining the critical dynamics that underpin knowledge as a collec- The final part of the book, “Building New Knowledge Commons,”
tive resource and the accompanying dilemmas, mainly social dilemmas, contains six chapters. Peter Suber opens this section with a chapter
which govern the management of this resource. entitled, “Creating an Intellectual Commons through Open Access.”
The book is organized into three parts. Part I, “Studying the Knowl- Suber conducts a thorough expose of Open Access and its role in
edge Commons,” consists of three chapters. The editors, Charlotte development of the intellectual commons. This chapter is dense and
Hess and Elinor Ostrom, open the book with an introductory overview covers subjects such as an overview of open access, royalty models
on knowledge commons. In this chapter, the editors provide a historic for open access content, legal foundations of open access, tragedies of
account of the study of knowledge commons and traditional commons. open access commons, and the role of authors in developing open
In addition, they define “knowledge” as a resource, and outline a few access content.
social dilemmas faced when appropriating this common resource. The The most provocative chapter of the book is by Shubba Gosh. Gosh
chapter concludes with a map of the remainder of the book. considers the role played by intellectual property in the development of

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY—January 15, 2008 333
DOI: 10.1002/asi
knowledge commons. I found this chapter to be highly entertaining, microeconomics housed at the University of Arizona. EconPort was
interesting, and deep. Gosh does an excellent job of providing an outline created to provide microeconomics educational resources to the
of the various roles that intellectual property can play in the develop- general public. One specific goal of EconPort was to provide resources
ment of knowledge goods, from being constructive to facilitating, and to facilitate the use of experiments in learning, teaching, and research-
even being irrelevant. Gosh then outlines several guiding principles ing of microeconomics. The authors focus their comments on the role
for the design of commons. He outlines why imitation of knowledge (or of incentives in facilitating the creation, utilization, and maintenance of
information) should not be viewed through the strict lens of copyright knowledge commons.
infringement. With persuasive and vivid examples and creative argu- Overall, I found this book very interesting. I commend the editors
ments, Gosh argues that “imitation has important pedagogical and social for assembling an eclectic group of scholars to contribute on an impor-
functions” (p. 227). The role of markets as a governance mechanism to tant topic. This book will make for an excellent supplemental text in
regulate the diverse, and often conflicting views and interest in, intellec- graduate programs in areas of information science, library science, and
tual property is also addressed. Gosh illustrates his arguments through even knowledge management. The book balances theory and practice.
the use of two cases—the technological infrastructure of file sharing and I found the book easy to read the chapters logically laid out. The only
experimentation within the pharmaceutical companies. concern I have is the one-sided and unilateral focus on preserving
The process of knowledge creation is discussed by Peter Levine, in knowledge commons. There are conceivably cases in which knowledge
Chapter 9. He rightly argues that this process should also be viewed as commons are not a good thing. For example, knowledge commons can
a commons. Ideally, the process of knowledge creation should be one suffer from a bystander effect. By this I mean that everyone thinks
of collective action, involve diverse stakeholders, and even call for someone else manages the common. This may lead to several undesir-
civic engagement. Levine’s central focus is (a) on the need to involve able consequences. In addition, in the current times, some information
youth, especially adolescents who are unlikely to attend college, in the goods should be protected and secured (e.g., information on nuclear
knowledge creation process through associations, and (b) why univer- material and the materials and techniques required to make bombs or
sities need to take a more proactive role in ensuring that the knowledge improvised explosive devices [IEDs]). Moreover, in the corporate set-
creation process remains a common and not become an isolated and ting of most private enterprises, the issues of how to manage internal
closed, or private, activity. knowledge commons is not as simple as the unilateral goal of making
In the next chapter, Charles M. Schweik describes how the dynam- all knowledge available to all. This book does not provide the reader
ics of open source software (OSS) collaborations can be applied to with a treatment of some of the unintended consequences of knowledge
other forms of knowledge commons. Schweik provides an overview of commons and the need for appropriate measures to secure them from
the OSS movement and the major practices that are employed in these these impacts. Even after accounting for this limitation, the book is an
commons. He then outlines how practices found in these communities excellent resource for researchers who are examining the social dilem-
can be used to guide developments in other commons, with a focus mas associated with the emerging field of knowledge commons. Fur-
on commons for scientific collaborations, drawing on case studies thermore, I would encourage that students in the library science fields
of land-use modeling and the creation of the next-generation e-journal. pay particular attention to the chapters by Wendy P. Lougee, Charles
In a previous issue of JASIST, Yukika Awazu and I (Awazu & Desouza, M. Schweik, Nancy Kranich, and James Boyle.
2004) outlined a similar argument on how the developments in OSS
can be used to inform knowledge management practices in the organi-
zations. The argument centered on moving to open, rather than closed, References
and collaborative, rather than protective, practices to foster effective
Awazu, Y., & Desouza, K.C. Open knowledge management: lessons from the open
knowledge management.
source revolution, Journal of the American Society for Information Science and
In Chapter 11, Wendy P. Lougee explores the changing role of re-
Technology, 55(11), 1016–1019.
search libraries in knowledge commons. Lougee conducts an expose
Erat, P., Desouza, K.C.., Schäfer-Jugel, A., & Kurzawa, M. Business customer com-
of how communication conventions have evolved due to advances in
munities and knowledge sharing: exploratory study of critical issues. European
distributed computing and the popularity of open-access protocols.
Journal of Information Systems, 15(5), 511–524.
She outlines the transformations that have taken place in content, the
publication process, academic disciplines, and libraries. As we ad-
vance through the digital world and develop more sophisticated Kevin C. Desouza
knowledge commons, libraries will need to shift their focus from The Information School
being archivists and stewards of information goods to one of collabo- University of Washington
rators and catalysts of internet-based communities. The changes out- Seattle, WA 98195-2840
lined by Lougee are salient. In a prior research project, several E-mail: [email protected]
colleagues and I (Erat, Desouza, Schäfer-Jugel, & Kurzawa, 2006)
outlined how knowledge-based organizations (e.g., pharmaceutical Published online 12 November 2007 in Wiley InterScience
firms) were undergoing structural changes within their sales force to (www.interscience.wiley.com).
take advantage of Internet-based communities. Consider the case of DOI: 10.1002/asi.20747
Lilly Critical Care Europe (Lilly CCE; Erat et al.). Lilly CCE, like
most medical and pharmaceutical companies, began to face fierce Technology Made Simple: An Improvement Guide for Small and
competition in 2001. Competitors were increasing their presence in Medium Libraries. Kimberley Bolin and Robert Cullin. Chicago: Amer-
the markets and eating away at market shares. Moreover, physicians ican Library Association, 2007. 213 pp. $40.00. (ISBN: 0–8389–0920–5)
were annoyed with the constant barrage of sales representatives. Lilly
CCE’s answer was to increase the roles and responsibilities, and actu- Aimed at “non- or semi-technical” librarians in small- to medium-
ally transform them. Sales personnel were trained to be managers of sized public libraries, Technology Made Simple attempts to provide a
online communities that brought together physicians to discuss topics guide for developing, managing, planning, funding, and understanding
of interest. Similar to the sales forces, librarians, as noted by Lougee, technology. The authors, librarian and consultant Kimberley Bolan and
will need to embrace the need for changing from the reactive stance of technology vendor Robert Cullin, stress that technology is an essential
archiving and stewarding information to the proactive stance of en- tool for libraries and hope that their work will help make technology a
abling the creation of information commons through being a catalyst topic that “librarians are energized by, not threaten by” (p. viii). Orga-
and a collaborator with stakeholders. nized topically into 10 chapters, the authors begin with a discussion of
The final chapter of the book by James C. Cox and J. Todd Swarthout why technology is so important to libraries and end with a discussion on
discusses the case of EconPort, an open-access digital library of evaluating, leading the reader full circle through managing technology.

334 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY—January 15, 2008
DOI: 10.1002/asi
 The first two chapters, “Why Do IT” and “Assess IT,” set the tone included is a useful section on budgeting and funding for technology.
for the rest of the book by providing a context and allowing readers to The authors discuss a variety of the usual topics, such as looking at the
begin to look at technology in a very broad and nonthreatening way. library budget and justifying what has been spent, but they also include
For instance, the authors demonstrate how technology can enhance a number of creative possibilities outside the regular library budget. For
user experience, making the library a “center of technology” for com- example, readers are encouraged to seek out grant opportunities as well
munities (p. 11). As the authors explain, by embracing technology, as polish negotiating skills for working with vendors on pricing.
libraries have a unique opportunity to help bridge both an economic All chapters are divided into sections with clear headings and sub-
gap by providing free access to computers as well as a knowledge gap headings, making the work easy to navigate and a useful reference re-
by teaching people how to use technology. In essence, technology does source. The book also includes numerous graphs, charts, sidebars, and
not pose a threat to libraries but instead provides libraries with the “tech tips” throughout. In addition, the authors make good use of lists
chance to be even more important than ever. Readers also are encour- to emphasize important aspects of discussions. All this, along with the
aged to look at where their technology is and where they want it to be. authors’ easy and lucid writing style, definitely makes this work acces-
Importantly, a very good discussion of where people fit in technology sible for the “techno-beginner.” In addition to the 141 pages of text,
planning is included. For example, the authors explain that all too often the book includes five appendices containing worksheets, resources, re-
just one person or one department is given all the responsibility for source libraries, job descriptions, and publication samples as well as in
maintaining and managing the library’s technology when a team index. Appendix B, “Resources,” is a particularly useful annotated list-
approach is much more effective. ing of sources organized by chapter.
The longest chapter is the third, 24 pages, which serves as a sort of Technology Made Simple also has a companion Web site located at
technology primer. This is where the authors provide explanations and http://www.ala.org/ala/ourassociation/publishing/alaeditions/webextras/
definitions of a variety of technologies and terms from routers to self- technologymadesimple/technologymadesimple.htm that contains the
check machines. While there is not room for the authors to discuss any information located in the appendices as well as some things that are
one technology or product in depth, this chapter does a good job of not. For instance, the authors provide worksheets for license tracking,
introducing readers to the kinds of technologies they may encounter. inventorying, troubleshooting, and more. The other appendices include
Further, the authors rank the different topics from “must haves” to an annotated list of resources organized by chapter, resource libraries,
“technology thrillers” (p. 36). The section on guidelines for choosing a job descriptions, and publication examples such as press releases and
new technology is particularly insightful. One of the strongest aspects brochures. All of these features increase the value and breadth of the
of the work is the emphasis the authors place on people throughout the book. Overall, this book provides those librarians with little or no tech-
book. For instance, in chapter 5, “Staff IT,” there are sections on look- nical knowledge an excellent starting point for planning and managing
ing both within and outside the library to fill technology positions. technology.
Readers are encouraged to “hire for attitude, train for skill” and not
to get to “hung up” on hiring someone with a great deal of experience Lisa A. Ennis
(p. 82). One example provided was of a library with a limited budget University of Alabama at Birmingham
that could not afford to hire an experienced systems librarian so they Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences
“grew” their own by training an interested librarian they already had. Birmingham, AL
Staff training also is emphasized. In the chapter on training, “Teach IT,” E-mail: [email protected]
the importance of the library staff having a basic understanding of tech-
nology is discussed as are methods for training. The more adept the staff Published online 16 November 2007 in Wiley InterScience
is with technology, the more chance the library has to position itself as a (www.interscience.wiley.com).
technology center by offering classes such as basic computer skills. Also DOI: 10.1002/asi.20748

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY—January 15, 2008 335
DOI: 10.1002/asi