ARBA 2009, entry 146
Jennex, Murray E. Knowledge Management: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications. Hershey, Pa., Information Science Reference, 2008. 6v. index. $1950.00/set; $1800.00 (e-book). ISBN 13: 978-1-59904-933-5.
This six-volume research reference is a compendium of articles about knowledge management (KM). Knowledge management is a complex discipline consisting of many facets, theories, and concepts. It began as a hot issue in the business community, and is also important in academia as an integral component of what organizational members remember and use in knowledge creation and knowledge transfer—in business parlance, knowledge management is "actionable." In other words, for knowledge to have value as embedded in documents, video, or audio it must "include the human additions of context, culture, experience, and interpretation." Knowledge management is a means by which organizations can better manage information to improve effectiveness in the fast moving, twenty-first century enterprise.
The multi-volume set contains eight distinct sections. Section 1 is the foundational section entitled "Fundamental Concepts and Theories in Knowledge Management." It features 43 chapters that address theories to position KM within the field of information science and technology. Other concepts covered are learning management systems and communities of practice. Section 2 is "Knowledge Management Development and Design Methodologies." It provides in-depth research in existing and emerging conceptual architectures and knowledge management frameworks in 45 different chapters from international contributors. It also explores cultural and infrastructural issues related to KM in developing countries. Section 3 offers tools and technologies emerging from the field, and explores how these tools enhance the knowledge sharing experience. Section 4 is "Utilization and Application of Knowledge Management." Readers will find more than 50 chapters that showcase knowledge management programs and processes, including the most popular trends in academia, government agencies, and healthcare systems. Contributions point to how this research is impacting global societies. Section 5 deals with the social and organizational impact of knowledge management technologies around the world, and ways to integrate technology to allow access for all. Section 6 discusses the "Managerial Impact of Knowledge Management." More than 35 chapters are devoted to concepts of strategic planning, training, and continuing education of human resources in complex organizations. Methods for assessing the value of KM within an organization are also discussed. Section 7 considers "Critical Issues in Knowledge Management." Social philosophy, communities of practice, facilitation of information sharing, and intellectual capital are some of the ideas addressed in this valuable section, in addition to issues of privacy, identity theft, and the secure transfer of knowledge. Section 8 is entitled "Emerging Trends in Knowledge Management." The 21 chapters in this section discuss aspects of research contributing to continued debate in knowledge management. They emphasize the inevitable increase in the complexity and quantity of knowledge that students and researchers will face in general, and within the discipline of knowledge management in particular.
A very informative preface written by the editor is included in each volume. At the end of each chapter is a complete bibliography of cited resources. Many of the articles were previously published in other journals or encyclopedias of knowledge management. There also is a 22-page index to all content at the end of each volume.
The publication of this six-volume resource was a huge undertaking. The number of contributors and contributed articles alone would make editing and proofreading a difficult task. However, I did notice a few mistakes that should have been caught prior to release (and there may be more). In fact, some of the errors were the same ones found in Online and Distance Learning: Concepts, Tools, Methodologies and Applications (see ARBA 2008, entry 269). On the page listing the members of the Editorial Advisory Board, Dr. Amar Gupta is from the University of Arizona, not Arizona University (there is no Arizona University). On the page introducing section 1, the description states, " . . . the reader can learn and "chose" from a compendium . . ." instead of choose.
Errors found in this resource include (examples): Contributor Oscar Nigro, is listed as being from Buenos Aires, "Aregentina," instead of Argentina. Contributor Rafael Andreu is listed as being from the University of "Nevarra," in Spain, instead of the University of Navarra. Figures (illustrations) are often grainy or have uneven lines and faded words (degraded images), as if they had been scanned poorly. The editing was slap-dash and should have been sharper; much of the same language was borrowed from the Online and Distance Learning compendium, and some introductory paragraphs contained repetitive language, as well as some convoluted language that did not inform the reader.
Despite these editorial issues, students and researchers would be hard pressed to find a resource that covers as many critical issues, emerging models, or new developments in the arena of knowledge management. The set is recommended for corporate and academic reference collections. The price of the print volumes includes complimentary/unlimited access to the Idea Group (IGI-Online) aggregated database on Knowledge Management.
—Laura J. Bender
ARBA 2009, entry 755
Greenwood Encyclopedia of Love, Courtship, and Sexuality Through History. James W. Howell, ed. Westport, Conn., Greenwood Press, 2008. 6v. illus. index. $599.95/set. ISBN 13: 978-0-313-33359-0.
This ambitious but far-from-exhaustive encyclopedia, clearly aimed at college undergraduates, and covering almost 800 topics and persons (e.g., beauty, gender roles, Alfred Kinsey, physicians and midwives, prehistoric human sexuality, Algernon Swinburne) as well as many lesser-known names and concepts, is written in a much more accessible style than a seemingly similar reference work, Greenwood Press’s Sex from Plato to Paglia: A Philosophical Encyclopedia, edited by Alan Soble (see ARBA 2007, entry 711). Each volume has a different editor, and most all contributors are academics or subject specialists. As the Set Preface (p. ix) states, the aim of this work is to "explore the array of ideas, attitudes and practices that have constituted sex and love around the world and across the centuries." Although it is primarily Western in its orientation, a concerted effort has been made toward inclusivity. There is a list of entries found in each volume and a very selective chronology, the lack of a cumulated index can make searching difficult. For instance, one of the few black-and-white photographs chosen to illustrate selected entries is of Lillie (erroneously spelled Lily in the Encyclopedia) Langtry (1853-1929), for the topic of "Prostitutes" in volume 6: The Modern World. However, her years as mistress to Edward VII (1841-1910) would seem to place her much more solidly in volume 5: The 19th Century. Each entry ends with a selection of Websites, texts, and journal articles for further reading. Although appropriate for large public libraries and academic institutions, its very high price may be a barrier. It should be noted that this encyclopedia is available as an e-book and librarians may wish to explore that option before committing to purchasing the print version.
—Martha E. Stone
ARBA 2009, entry 243
Encyclopedia of Bilingual Education. Josue M. Gonzalez, ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif., Sage, 2008. 2v. illus. index. $325.00/set; $405.00 (e-book). ISBN 13: 978-1-4129-3720-7; 978-1-4129-6398-5 (e-book).
Bilingual education has long been a controversial topic; the recent debate over immigration has thrust it even further into the spotlight. Now more than ever researchers need a resource that will document the history, major trends, and major names of this field. The two-volume Encyclopedia of Bilingual Education answers this need masterfully. Its entries range in topic from pedagogical theory to lawsuits, and each entry is followed by an up-to-date bibliography. Six pertinent appendixes relating to the relationship between the U.S. government and bilingual education complete the second volume. Through its entries, bibliographies, and appendixes, this encyclopedia fulfills its purpose: to provide researchers with a solid foundation on which to build their knowledge and pursue further study.
The Encyclopedia of Bilingual Education not only provides researchers with foundational information about bilingual education in the United States, but also enables researchers to access that information quickly and effectively. The volumes begin with an alphabetic list of topics and also a subject-divided list of topics, allowing readers to see the breadth of this field at a glance and also to conduct a focused search. Entries are cross-referenced, and both volumes end with a comprehensive index. Readers will find the entries themselves to be admirably clear and easy to read. Refreshingly free of academic jargon, they nonetheless present information that will be valuable both to those in academia and to the general public.
Although at times the entry titles and information given in the entries may be confusing to a reader new to the terms of this field (see, for example, the entry entitled "Affirmative Steps to English," which refers to affirmative action in bilingual education), that slight drawback is easily overcome through the cross-referencing feature. This set will be an invaluable addition to high school, university, and public libraries for the benefit of researchers, journalists, and all other readers interested in the field of bilingual education.
—Helen Margaret Bernard