First, I apologize for the lateness of this post and for missing the last two weeks. Sometimes life happens and I'm getting really busy. But, I'm here today and I'm actually going to give you a glimpse at what happens behind the scenes in libraries: library theory. Actually, no. There's not as much theory in the field of library science as you may think considering how important information is to our profession, but the book I'm reviewing today is, in fact, a book about a theory of information, specifically, the theory of information worlds.
Now, I'll include the reference for the book on this post in APA style, but Information Worlds: Social Context, Technology, and Information Behavior in the Age of the Internet is not like others I've left reviews for. It is not a "fun" book; it's essentially a textbook. So if you're interested, definitely read it. If you just want to read a chapter or two that sounds super interesting, great. But I'm not necessarily writing this review in an effort to convince you to read, or not read, this book. This review is more of a "Wow, that was really interesting and it has x implications" style than a "this book is awesome and everyone should read it" style. The premise of the Theory of Information Worlds is that an individual's information behavior (i.e., the way a person searches for, interacts with, and uses information) is influenced by the multiple "worlds" that make up their life. For example, an avid knitter/crocheter/weaver likely has people, both in person and virtually, that they knit/crochet/weave with and/or share patterns with. This collection of people and the contexts they interact in are one information world. The same person will also have other information worlds, some of which are larger and smaller than others. But within these worlds there are people who are trusted and information that has value or doesn't have value. And these worlds interact with other worlds and overall guide the individual's information behavior. Now, the book goes into much greater detail about this premise and the influence of media, the internet, and libraries on this concept. But while I find this theory very interesting and potentially very influential to my own research, that's not the part of the book that I actually want to call attention to. I want to call attention to Chapter 8, otherwise known as the chapter that calls out politics in a BIG way. Chapter 8 focuses on an aspect of information worlds called information value. Information value is the amount of value an information world places on information in general, specific information, and where information comes from. Information value is different for each information world and is greatly influenced by cultural/societal values. And depending on how powerful certain people are, the information value of a very small world can be imposed on a very large number of people. An entire country, in fact, can have the information value of a single small world imposed on them. And the United States of America is a prime example. Now, this book was written in 2010, and chapter 8 is looking at the influences of President George W. Bush rather than more current administrations, but the premise remains the same. When a person in power is part of a small world whose information value is based on the curtailment of information for whatever reason, the democratic process of said country can be compromised. If accurate information, however damning, isn't shared with the public then the public cannot truly make decisions on who they want to lead their country or what they want those leaders to do. Access to information is important, and the information value held by small worlds in power has lot to do with what information is accessible to a democratic nation. When I was reading this book, specifically Chapter 8, it was another piece of evidence about how many modern librarians/libraries are radical places. Places where access to information is more important than enforcing the information values of those in power. I think reading this book, or even just skimming it, is actually a pretty important thing. But don't just read it. Read it critically. No book or thought is infallible. There can be holes in everything, and maybe you'll see something that just doesn't sit right with you and that will make you go out and do some research and you'll further your own information value. But this book has some really important points about the access, use, and restriction of information. All things that are becoming increasingly important in the era we live in. Happy Reading! Jaeger, P., & Burnett, G. (2010). Information worlds: Social context, technology, and information behavior in the age of the Internet. New York: Routledge.
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AuthorThe author is a librarian who reads "too much" (is there such a thing?) and talks just as much. As an aspiring author she gets bogged down by grammar rules when she just wants to forget them to make a sentence flow, but never seems to be able to. She appreciates thoughtful comments and constructive criticism, but internet trolls beware, she's read enough fantasy novels to know how to defeat the monsters. Archives
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