Book Description
Instant electronic access to digital information is the single most distinguishing attribute of the information age. The elaborate retrieval mechanisms that support such access are a product of technology. But technology is not enough. The effectiveness of a system for accessing information is a direct function of the intelligence put into organizing it. Just as the practical field of engineering has theoretical physics as its underlying base, the design of systems for organizing information rests on an intellectual foundation. The subject of this book is the systematized body of knowledge that constitutes this foundation.
Integrating the disparate disciplines of descriptive cataloging, subject cataloging, indexing, and classification, the book adopts a conceptual framework that views the process of organizing information as the use of a special language of description called a bibliographic language. The book is divided into two parts. The first part is an analytic discussion of the intellectual foundation of information organization. The second part moves from generalities to particulars, presenting an overview of three bibliographic languages: work languages, document languages, and subject languages. It looks at these languages in terms of their vocabulary, semantics, and syntax. The book is written in an exceptionally clear style, at a level that makes it understandable to those outside the discipline of library and information science.
Customer Reviews:
The Bible of Metadata.......2003-03-22
I keep this book close to me at work and usually stick it in my laptop case when I leave for home. It is my bible for metadata. The first time I read it, I carefully underlined passages with a fine light pencil. Now I've tossed book decorum to the winds and use highligher pens! To mention just one general topic, Elaine Svenonius grapples with all of the key issues that trained librarians face when cataloguing digital materials. She also covers controlled vocabularies from several perspectives, and understands the challenges/difficulties of applying standard "book" classifications to rich media collections. That it took me a long time to get through this book has nothing to do with her style -- Elaine Svenonius writes clearly, often beautifully -- but rather with the amount of information and the mind-expanding concepts, which I still mull over as I wrestle at work with asset management.
Heavy going, but worth the effort.......2001-06-02
I think that a lot of people who work in information technology tend to think that the problems that we have with things like web-based search and retrieval are unique to Internet search engines and catalogue databases. I know that I've been working in the field while lacking an adequate sense of the historical basis of information organization.
Svenonius breaks information organization down into ideology (purposes and principles), the formalization of the processes involved in information organization, knowledge based on research, and key problems that need to be solved. It's information that's very useful for anybody who is involved with organization of information-- even for people like me who work more on the technical than conceptual side of content management systems.
Average customer rating:
|
Intellectual Foundations for Informational Professionals
Herbert K. Achleitner
Manufacturer: East European Monographs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Eastern
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
History of Ideas
| Historical Study
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Library & Information Science
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Information Science
| Library & Information Science
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0880339578 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Información, Cultura y Sociedad, published by Instituto de Investigaciones Bibliotecologicas on June 1, 2003. The length of the article is 1664 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: The Intellectual Foundation of Information Organization.(Resena de libro)
Author: Graciela Spedalieri
Publication:
Información, Cultura y Sociedad (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 2003
Publisher: Instituto de Investigaciones Bibliotecologicas
Issue: 8
Page: 111(4)
Article Type: Resena de libro
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
Catastrophes, whether natural or man-made, that could destroy the human race are often dismissed as alarmist or fanciful, the stuff of science fiction. In fact the risk of such disasters is real, and growing. A collision with an asteroid that might kill a quarter of humanity in 24 hours and the rest soon after; irreversible global warming that might flip, precipitating "snowball earth;" voraciously replicating nanomachines; a catastrophic accident in a particle accelerator that might reduce the earth to a hyperdense sphere 100 meters across; a pandemic of gene-spliced smallpox launched by bioterrorists; even conquest by superintelligent robots-all these potential extinction events, and others, are within the realm of the possible and warrant serious thought about assessment and prevention. They are attracting the concern of reputable scientists--but not of the general public or the nation's policymakers. How should the nation and the world respond to disaster possibilities that, for a variety of psychological and cultural reasons, people find it hard to wrap their minds around? Richard Posner shows that what is needed is a fresh, thoroughly interdisciplinary perspective that will meld the insights of lawyers, economists, psychologists, and other social scientists with those of the physical sciences. Responsibility for averting catastrophe cannot be left either to scientists or to politicians and other policymakers ignorant of science. As in many of his previous books, Posner brings law and the social sciences to bear on a contemporary problem-in this case one of particular urgency. Weighing the risk and the possible responses in each case, Posner shows us what to worry about and what to dismiss, and discusses concrete ways of minimizing the most dangerous risks. Must we yield a degree of national sovereignty in order to deal effectively with global warming? Are limitations on our civil liberties a necessary and proper response to the danger of bioterror attacks? Would investing more heavily in detection and interception systems for menacing asteroids be money well-spent? How far can we press cost-benefit analysis in the design of responses to world-threatening events? Should the institutional framework of science policy be altered? we need educational reform? Is the interface of law and science awry? These are but a few of the issues canvassed in this fascinating, disturbing, and necessary book.
Customer Reviews:
The Greatest Problems of the 21st Century...Solved!.......2007-03-05
With the emerging trends in healthcare, many of today's young children will be alive in 2100. This would be a remarkable achievement.
Then again, sometime in the next 100 years perhaps the entire human race including all today's children will die violent deaths.
In Catastrophe, US Appeals Court Judge Richard Posner shows that humanity enters the 21st century with a greater chance of annihilation than at any time in human history. Mankind faces new perils that our institutions are not addressing.
Posner does not just warn of dangers. He proposes solutions we can enact today that would reduce risk and improve world security for the next 100 years.
His facts are well researched; his analysis is well thought out. Unfortunately, his writing is heavy. He uses large amounts of hard science, legal theory, and economic analysis.
His major theme is that rapid scientific progress has created perils that our leaders are not addressing.
In a short book, he addresses a large number of doomsday scenarios that would otherwise require years of study.
None of the risks he discusses are likely to happen this year or in any particular year. However, as a group they pose a disturbing risk when looked at over a hundred years.
He collects these horrific events into four groups
1) Natural disasters - This includes asteroids striking the earth, pandemic disease, and huge volcanoes and earthquakes. These have always been around and have caused mass destruction in the past.
The other risks are new to the 21st century.
2) Perils caused by Economic Growth - This includes global warming, resource depletion, loss of biodiversity, and population growth. Posner looks critically at each.
3) Scientific Accidents - These include accidents with robots, artificial intelligence, robotic war machines, genetically modified crops, nanotechnology, and particle accelerators, These all sound like science fiction but Posner uses credible evidence to paint scenarios on how each could destroy the entire human race.
4) Intentional catastrophes - These include nuclear war, biological terror, cyber terror, surveillance, concealment, and encryption. His discussion of biological terror is especially disturbing. He cites evidence that nations, terrorist groups, or even crazed Unabomber type individuals may soon be able to create life forms that can kill billions of people.
This is frightening but Posner does not stop here. He proposes solutions we can work on today to reduce the risk of each catastrophe.
His solutions attempt to reduce each hazard while impairing our current standard of living as little as possible. Each proposal is painful and will disturb many people.
1) Fiscal solutions - He proposes increasing taxes and spending on science to address natural disasters and global warming. He uses economic tools to show that our current policies are inadequate to address these risks. His solutions will lead to a reduced standard of living for all of us.
2) Regulatory solutions -These include an international EPA, specialized science courts, a center for catastrophic risk assessment and response, an international bio-weaponry agency, and catastrophic risk review of new projects. They require international cooperation to work. These proposals will be controversial because they would require national governments like the US, Russia, and China to obey international agencies like the UN. How likely is this?
3) Reduction of civil liberties - As a judge, Posner is careful to defend the US tradition of human rights. However he questions whether the civil liberties of Western societies can continue.
With nuclear or bio-terror, we cannot afford to allow a single mistake. One crazed person can kill millions or perhaps all of us. Given this threat, should we restrict the right of unstable persons to learn dangerous technologies? Can we extend a right to privacy to people with the know how to develop viruses that can kill the entire human race? Should we profile people from certain areas of the world? Does free speech allow us to publish how to make nuclear weapons? Is there a role for torture and threats to families? Being a judge, he explains these ideas clearly and soberly.
4) Education - Posner's solutions are weakest in this areas. He does not trust generalist judges to adjudicate any case involving scientific matters but proposes a special court with judges trained in science.
In an early chapter he shows how the scientific ignorance of some people and the obsession with scientific progress of others work together to make these risks worse. However, he does not recommend improved science education for Presidents, legislators, journalists, or the general public--only judges.
Most important he does not recommend changing science education to emphasize the dangers and ethical responsibilities of scientists. Is it not important for everyone trained in science to understand the danger of what they could achieve and the responsibility to abide by ethical standards? Posner does not mention this.
In a short book, Judge Posner has done an outstanding service in explaining the most important issues confronting us in the 21st century and how they can be solved. However, his ideas should be viewed as intial ideas to stir a public debate not as final solutions. For our children's sake, I encourage everyone to do the heavy research needed to read the book and become active in working toward the best solutions.
OK Survey, but focused for attorneys & politicos.......2006-12-24
I purchased the book looking for interesting insights on catastrophes. I have to say I did not expand my knowledge of catastrophes much by reading the book. I did expand my knowledge of the relation between our legal/political systems and catastrophic defense/scientific research.
I thought Posner did a good job surveying different catastrophes and assigning rough estimations to them. However, I felt the key point of his book was promoting more attorneys learning about science so an intelligent discusssion could be made. I agree with the point...but it was such a recurring theme, it became dull for me, since I am not an attorney.
I had not read a book by Posner before. He is a judge, and I felt it read like a judge wrote it. I.e. in most areas he was very careful to be impartial. But then occasionally he would make a blanket opinion without any substantiation and move on as if he had proved some point. You can see examples of this in the other reviews below. I'll only point out I had different examples.
If you are soft skinned, conservative and liberal alike will probably find points of offense in the book. And I guess that is what surprised me the most, that this is a political book, not a scientific one.
A farrago of fear and frustration.......2005-07-02
The cliche of fearing only those who are afraid surely holds true for this book. Posner, a judge, wants lawyers to sit in judgement of which research should go forward and which curtailed. He has lined up a string of threats we face in terms of "catastrophic" loss of human life. There are bolides cruising in space eager to smash into our planet and repeat on us what one did to the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Physicists tinkering with subatomic particles could trigger a reaction that would shrink the Earth to a sphere 100 metres across. "Bioterrorism" is the next thrust from "America's" off-shore enemies. What to do to counter this litany of disasters? He insists we need a policy to address each of them.
Posner analyses the various challenges to continued human existence. For each threat there is a "risk assessment" examining the probabilities of its occurring. From the assessment, there is a "cost-benefit" calculation to determine how much to spend to prevent the catastrophe. How likely is the impact of another asteroid extinguishing much or all of human life? How much need we spend to deflect it? What is the true cost of the Kyoto protocol? Posner puts dollar values on each of these in terms of likelihood of the event transpiring and the cost of countering it.
Significantly, Posner posits the threats and their solutions to his countrymen. These are "American" problems and must be dealt with in an "American" environment. He patronisingly grants some UN agency involvement on a few issues, but these are limited to areas the UN is already dealing with or ones the USA has disdained. The British pre-emption of interest in rogue asteroid is given a nod, then passed over. Keeping the focus on what the USA must do in countering, Posner ignores the element of his society that must accept or reject these numbers and the costs involved. Even the most clumsy (clumsiest) estimate of cost per taxpayer would have given this analysis some basis in reality. Posner, however, must suspect that the figure would likely be too high for taxpayers to cope with. He concedes the point in his claim that the costs of adhering to Kyoto would be disproportionately high for his countrymen.
There are so many inconsistencies and self-contradictions in this book they defy listing here. He condemns the Kyoto Protocol as too restrictive on one hand and costing the USA too much on the other. He ignores the fact that this Protocol is a beginning, not an end. He also bypasses the reality of his own country being the world's biggest consumer of resources and exporter of greenhouse gases. He condemns foreign students who return to home countries and urges strengthening of restrictions on what they're allowed to study. This in the face of his braggadocio about the high levels of American science and education. That these departing foreign students are taking expertise to solve problems in their own lands seems to have eluded him. He rants about keeping foreign students away from "lethal toxins" and ignores the number of these that occur naturally and cause death or disfigurement in humans and livestock - even in the technologically superior USA. How many "enemies" would be generated by the constraints he proposes? Finally, how he expects lawyers to gain enough expertise in science to sit in judgement of which research should go forward in a nation unable to come to grips with natural selection remains an enigma. It's commendable that Posner raises the list of threats the entire planet faces. His chauvinist solutions bear little relation to the reality of today's world. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
"Preparing" For The Future.......2005-03-21
Looking out for future risk into the future. For example, asteroids pose a long-term risk hundreds and thousands of years into the future. We have the technology now to map asteroids and safeguard our future. To a large extent this is not being done. There is a lack of scientific enthusiasm to do this.
Global warming is another topic of interest. Glaciers are melting right now. The gravity of the problem is increasing. However, it would be very expensive to do anything about it. So, not much is being done to correct the problem. Even if we reduce emissions into the atmosphere, the build-up is cumulative so that the problem increases even with reduced emisssions. Heavy taxes on CO2 emissions would be scientifically helpful, but politically impossible.
Scientists tend to be either too pessimistic or too optimistic regarding the future. The reality, actually, is somewhere in the middle. Yet, the risks tend to be misstated.
How does the marketplace respond to future risks? Reinsurance companies are very concerned about global warming. The risk is difficult to quantify. Global warming will effect the weather in the future.
The author talks about the risks of terrorism. His position is that terrorism is very difficult to prevent. Our borders may be too porous.
The author covers possible future disasters in this book which include biodiversity loss, sudden global warming, bioterrorists, asteroid impacts, and nuclear meltdowns. The core problem in dealing with these extinction threats is the need to spend large amounts of present resources for speculative future benefits.
Science (C-Span 353/1)
Not a Dog in these Catastrophes.......2005-02-06
Great Book, thoughtful and somewhat idiosyncratic analysis of how we should think about and respond to low probability but very large consequence events.
Works very well paired up with Robert Shillers book "Macro Markets"
Average customer rating:
|
Hazardous Chemicals in Products and Processes: Substitution as an Inovative Process (Sustainibility and Innovation)
Ahrens A.
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Natural Resources
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General & Reference
| Chemistry
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Industrial & Technical
| Chemistry
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Safety
| Chemistry
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Environmental Science
| Earth Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Industrial, Manufacturing & Operational Systems
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General & Reference
| Chemistry
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Environmental Science
| Earth Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
All Amazon Upgrade
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Business & Investing
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Engineering
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Professional & Technical
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Business & Investing
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Professional
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 3790816426 |
Book Description
Substitution of hazardous substances is a prioritised objective in chemical regulation and risk management. However, it is experienced as a tough task with often inconsistent results. Based on thirteen case studies, this book analyzes substitution as an innovation process and attempts to give answers to the following questions: Why and under which circumstances are companies able and willing to substitute hazardous substances? What are the main drivers and the main barriers? In which way can communication along the supply chain support environmental innovation? How can risk management appropriately deal with the lack of knowledge, with uncertainties and incomplete knowledge about the possible effects of different substances? Recommendations for action are provided for commercial and state institutions and consumers and thus for all actors engaged in the European reform of chemicals policy following the REACH system.
Product Description
In recent years major floods have occurred across Europe causing serious damages and huge financial implications. Flood risk and vulnerability is increasing with increased frequency of occurrence of extreme events due to climate change, changes in land-use, encroachment into floodplains and increasing economic value of assets and businesses. Human lives, property, environment and socio-economics are at increasing risk due to flooding. Recent alarming events in Central Europe, UK and The Netherlands have provided renewed impetus to the development of improved policies and techniques for flood risk management across Europe. Sharing of knowledge and understanding of the practical problems, dilemmas and challenges will aid in the development and implementation of new technologies and strategies of the challenging issues of flood risk management in Europe.
This valuable edition brings together 26 peer reviewed articles on technical, socio-economic, environmental and policy aspects of flood risk management. These articles contribute to the five sections with the general themes: i) flood risk management practice, ii) flood events and impacts, iii) flood analysis and modelling iv) flood forecasting and v) flood risk management policy. Some emerging technologies are presented and several future challenges are identified.
Average customer rating:
|
Innovation and Environmental Risk
Lewis Roberts
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Environmental Science
| Earth Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Conservation
| Environment
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Conservation
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Air
| Pollution
| Environmental
| Civil
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Environmental Science
| Earth Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0471947628 |
Books:
- The Internet: A Historical Encyclopedia
- The Mars Pathfinder Approach to "Faster-Better-Cheaper"
- The Music of the Primes: Searching to Solve the Greatest Mystery in Mathematics
- The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal
- The New Crusades: Constructing the Muslim Enemy
- The New Ruthless Economy: Work and Power in the Digital Age
- The Origin of Language: Tracing the Evolution of the Mother Tongue
- The Quest for Cosmic Justice
- The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature
- The Rise of Early Modern Science: Islam, China and the West
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Crafting and Executing Strategy : The Quest for Competitive Advantage - Concepts and Cases
- The Norton Anthology of Western Literature, Volume 2
- Story CD: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting
- Moon Handbooks: Hawaii 6 Ed: The All-Island Guide
- Sudoku Easy to Hard Presented by Will Shortz, Volume 3: 100 Wordless Crossword Puzzles
- Toppers
- The Good Food Cookbook for Dogs: 50 Home-Cooked Recipes for the Health and Happiness of Your Canine
- The Zen of Direct3D Game Programming
- Model Financial Statements for Public and Private Companies
- Dirty White Boys
The Organization of Information: Second Edition (Library and Information Science Text Series)
Sorting Things Out: Classification and Its Consequences (Inside Technology)
Information Representation and Retrieval in the Digital Age (Asist Monograph Series)
Foundations of Library and Information Science
Introduction to Cataloging and Classification: Tenth Edition (Library and Information Science Text Series)
