Whether termed the 'network society', the 'knowledge society' or the 'information society', it is widely accepted that a new age has dawned, unveiled by powerful computer and communication technologies. Yet for millennia humans have been recording knowledge and culture, engaging in the dissemination and preservation of information. In `The Early Information Society', the authors argue for an earlier incarnation of the information age, focusing upon the period 1900-1960. In support of this they examine the history and traditions in Britain of two separate but related information-rich occupations - information management and information science - repositioning their origins before the age of the computer and identifying the forces driving their early development. `The Early Information Society' offers an historical account which questions the novelty of the current information society. It will be essential reading for students, researchers and practitioners in the library and information science field, and for sociologists and historians interested in the information society.

Proceedings of the 22d-33d annual conference of the Library Association in v. 1-12; proceedings of the 34th-44th, 47th-57th annual conference issued as a supplement to v. 13-23, new ser. v. 3-ser. 4, v. 1.

In this book, experts in the field describe best practices based on their experiences in corporate libraries worldwide. With information driving today's global economy, corporate librarians must become even more proactive in their daily assignments. Best Practices for Corporate Libraries will help them do just that through a series of papers that offer an international array of opinion and practice methods. This book showcases current practices in corporate library functions and suggests best practices for current librarians. It also examines some of the changes in librarianship that have arisen from changes in how information is provided and how corporations are now organized. Topics covered include library service functions, return on investment, measurements and evaluation, collaboration, communication and outreach in corporations, managing changes in the corporation and in the library, and legal issues such as intellectual property concerns. Drawing from the experience of 25 contributors, the book includes chapters covering corporate libraries in the United States, United Kingdom, India, Barbados, and Nigeria.