are not mentioned either, so the book is outdated for the more However, with diminishing returns accruing to the systems approfessional audience.
proach to information retrieval, interest begins to shift to other Finally, we look at Modern Information Systems for Managapproaches. These articles originated at a conference on Inforers in the context of the fourth category: Books focusing on the mation Seeking in Context held at the University of Tampere, relations between information systems and various organiza-Finland. Here the focus is on the cognitive and sociological tional, tactical, and strategic issues in the business environment.
factors that give documents meanings: Information once again is For a book with such a title, it is minimal on such important considered as a product of human perception, not as an objective managerial issues as the use of IS in establishing optimal organifeature of documents. zational information ecology, implementation strategies to Generally speaking, context refers to any and all socio-cogniachieve effective knowledge management and generation of tive factors that impinge on information-seeking behavior. As intellectual capital through information systems, and financial Brenda Dervin notes in her leading and impressive contribution, considerations (acquisition, maintenance, and development ''context is hot'' (p. 13). Everywhere one looks in the social costs) associated with efficient deployment of information syssciences, there are studies on how human beings use contextual tems in organizations. The issue of information systems personfactors to make sense of their worlds. Dervin summarizes the nel (how to select, evaluate performance, and grow professioncommon themes in context studies: Knowledge is partial and ally CIOs and MISs), so critical and vague for most modern temporary; reality is discontinuous, gap filled, and changeable managers, is not treated in the book at all. On the other hand, across time-space; and the known and the knower are inextricaany manager who takes the time to read the book will certainly bly bound. But she also recognizes the fatal limitation to context build a sound bridgehead for effective communication with his studies: ''Context has the potential of being virtually anything in-house information systems specialist.
that is not defined as the phenomenon of interest'' (p. 14).
Predictably, there will be problems of definition and measurement. She urges a middle route between those who see tyranny in systematization and those who see chaos in fully implemented Yonathan Mizrachi contextualism.
Departments of Library and Human Services
Tom Wilson addresses the fundamental challenge of building University of Haifa a model of information behavior. This requires the delineation Haifa, Israel 31905 of independent variables motivating information seeking and E-mail: