To supplement the reviews published in each issue of ALJ, we offer regular themed reviews online on a range of topics. For this issue the theme of the online reviews is Children's, Youth and School Librarianship, available at http://www.alia.org.au/publications-and-news/australian-library-journal-alj/alj-online-reviews.
With a wonderfully graphic front cover, this is a book that will look great on a coffee table, so do not be surprised if visitors ask about what you are reading! Whilst the content is relevant for all information professionals, it is especially valuable for those who are new to the access environment of libraries, and also useful as an introduction for librarians beginning in an electronic technical services team, or for those looking to develop their knowledge further.
The authors seek to highlight the complexities surrounding the ability of libraries not only to provide 24/7 access to the numerous electronic resources that clients expect, but also to restrict access by individuals who lack access entitlement. To achieve this aim, the 12 chapters start with a general introduction on what access and identity management entail, and then move into such areas as the technologies available, advantages and disadvantages of using particular technologies, approaches to authentication, access management infrastructure, federated access, library statistics and business cases.
The 12 chapters are well structured, read well and make good use of subheadings to provide an easier read. Also, the author does well to leave the case studies to the appendix to avoid disrupting the natural flow of the information presented.
While the book was written and published in the UK, by using examples throughout and including rich case studies in the appendix it manages to be relevant to other countries in its discourse. Similarly, it applies to networked information resource access in a variety of libraries, not just academic.
This is definitely a book worth having if you are studying to be an information professional, joining a technical services team in a library or as part of a working tools collection of a technical services team.