John Feather BLitt MA PhD FCLIP is Professor of Library and Information Studies and Dean of the Graduate School at Loughborough University; he is a former Pro-Vice Chancellor of Loughborough University.

• Introduction. The information society: myth and realityPART 1: THE HISTORICAL DIMENSION1. From script to printThe origins of writingThe alphabetImages, sounds and numbersThe first mediaThe development of the book Printing: the first communications revolutionThe trade in books 2. Mass media and new technologyThe pictorial imageThe recording and transmission of soundMass media: radio and cinemaTelevisionComputers: the second communications revolution PART 2: THE ECONOMIC DIMENSION3. The information market-placeThe publishing industry: a paradigm of information transferAuthors and publishers The diversity of publishing New directions in publishing The evolution of the e-book The interdependent media: convergence and change The market: definition and size Fragmentation or competition? 4. Access to informationThe price of books and the cost of broadcasts The cost of libraries Public good or private profit? Electronic communications: access and costs The world wide web Networks: an electronic democracy? Electronic publishing: towards a new paradigm? The cost of access: issues and problems PART 3: THE POLITICAL DIMENSION 5. Information rich and information poorThe value of information Information in developing countries: an issue defined Wealth and poverty: information and economic development Information delivery systems: some contrasts North and South: the world publishing industry Eastern Europe: a different poverty? The limits of wealth: information poverty in the West 6. Information, the state and the citizenThe role of the state: an introduction The role of the state: the protection of intellectual property The role of the state: data protection and personal privacy The role of the state: freedom of information The role of the state: censorship Contemporary dilemmas: the issues redefined PART 4 THE INFORMATION PROFESSION 7. The information profession: a domain delineated The role of the information professional The work of the information professional Librarians and libraries: archetypes in transition From archivist to records manager Information managers Managing knowledge Afterword. An information society? Studying the information society

The sixth edition of what has now become a standard textbook in its field, this book has been updated about every four years since the first edition was published in 1994...As an introductory textbook that describes how information has been accumulated, analysed and disseminated through the ages, this book is recommended to library and information students.