Shu-Ching Chen and Mei-Ling Shyu, Hershey, PA, IGI Global/Information Science Reference, 2012, , 334 pp, n.p. (hard cover), ISBN 978-1-46661-791-9
Antonio Cartelli, Hershey, PA, IGI Global/Information Science Reference, 2012, , 254 pp, n.p. (hard cover), ISBN 978-1-46660-903-7
These two titles consist of scholarly articles, all previously published in 2010 in various issues of Volume 1 of the International journal of digital literacy and digital competence, or various issues of Volume 1 of the International journal of multimedia data engineering and management. Divided into sections, the selected articles in each offer information-science research outputs and international perspectives on the issues. Written by experienced academics, these articles, grounded in theory and backed up by research, are arranged as chapters around pertinent themes in these volumes, making it easy to locate these articles in one place. Each chapter, as you would expect of a publication of this kind, is information-rich and generously furnished with images, charts and graphs to support the text, making these titles excellent information-science reference resources for both the serious researcher and the occasional researcher.
Methods and innovations for multimedia database content management is divided into five sections: ‘Multimedia Data Mining and Multimedia Databases’; ‘Image Classification and Retrieval’; ‘Video Content Processing and Retrieval’; ‘Audio Data Processing’; and ‘Indexing and Multimedia Applications: Integrations of Multimedia Management and e-Learning Technology’. Current trends and future practices for digital literacy and competence also has five sections: ‘Introduction’; ‘Digital Literacy and Digital Competence in Formal Education’; ‘Digital Literacy and Digital Competence after Graduation and for Lifelong Learning’; ‘Digital Literacy in Organisations’; and ‘Digital Technologies at Learning and Ethics’.
Each volume is presented in the same style and over-size A4 format. As well as references cited at the end of each chapter, there is an alphabetically arranged compilation of references that conveniently lists all the authors' works used in each publication. The indexes are minimal. Each volume features biographical information about each of the contributors. The contributors hail predominantly from Europe (Italy, Spain) for the volume on digital literacy and competence, and predominantly from the US for the volume on multimedia database content management. The latter volume contains the only contribution from Australasian academics, from Canterbury University in New Zealand.
These two titles have much to offer information-science specialists and scholars and will primarily appeal to them. Information professionals who are not specialists in these fields will find these titles more challenging but rewarding nevertheless for the insights gained into the science behind the information and communication technologies and their impact, use and effectiveness, or otherwise.
© 2013, Lois Robertson
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