Book details of 'Digital Literacy'

Title	Digital Literacy
Author(s)	Paul Gilster
ISBN	0471249521
Language	English
Published	October 1999
Publisher	John Wiley & Sons

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The Virtual Bookcase Reviews of 'Digital Literacy':

Reviewer amazon.com wrote:
Until the Net became popular, we were used to pre-packaged, filtered news and information fed to us by giant media outlets. Now there is an abundance of raw material available via the Net. Along with easy access to lots of good stuff, there are sites developed by hate-mongers, conspiracy buffs, and others presenting urban myths or worse as fact. It's imperative, then, that we move from the passive consumer of broadcast media to critical consumers able to quickly assemble reliable knowledge. Digital Literacy capably instructs users in developing a set of critical thinking skills and core competencies that are different from those we've used in the past. Paul Gilster covers topics such as questions to ask when viewing material on a Web site, how to separate form from content, and how links can manipulate the context of hypertext. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Reviewer Rob Slade wrote:
Having said many unkind things about the hype surrounding the World Wide Web, I *do* acknowledge that the Web is useful. It's value, however, lies not in graphics or a WIMP (Windows, Icon, Mouse, Pointer) interface, but in the invention of the URL: the Uniform Resource Locator. Text based dinosaur that I am, I find URLs in mail messages to be more useful than almost any approach to the Xanadu of hypertext. Utility lies in informational substance and ease of access thereto, not in multimedia style. As a card carrying propellorhead, therefore, I greatly appreciate Gilster's avowed non-technical approach to the net. "The Internet Navigator" (see reviews), despite the efforts of literally hundreds of authors, is still the most mature general guide to the Internet. "Finding it on the Internet" (see reviews) stands alone after all this time as the only solid answer to the second question every net novice asks. Now, in this present work, Gilster once again draws back the unnoticed curtain behind the smoke and noise to reveal that which we truly need to make the Internet work: critical analysis. (I should note that it is not quite present: this is a reissue, for some reason, of a book I somehow missed two years ago. In responding to the draft of this review, Gilster has said that he would have made some additions if he had been given the opportunity.) The first chapter introduces digital literacy as a new skill made necessary by a new type of information utility: the computer, and more particularly the computer network. The text briefly looks at the changes in style and even substance of data in the new medium, and at those who use, do not use, praise, and decry the net. Yet this is mere introduction, for all that it covers the total contents of most "information superhighway" books. Chapter two develops a definition of this new literacy. Drawing upon the historical changes from speech to phonetic writing, from scrolls to codex, and from hand copying to moveable type, Gilster demonstrates that it is the interaction with content that changes. And, whereas in the immediately previous media information could not be questioned, on the net, information not only can be critiqued, but must be. Chapter three seems to be somewhat of a digression as Gilster describes a day using the Internet. It does, however, give a quick and realistic picture of what information use on the net is like in reality right now. In one sense, though, it does a minor disservice to the book. All of the information Gilster obtains is deemed to be trustworthy. There is little mention of spam and other junk, nor of the ubiquitous "404" indicator of abandoned sites on the Web, nor of the assessment, in terms of a Usenet news posting, of whether this shrill electronic cry is a vital warning or an ill- tempered complaint. While some evaluation is done, the critical analysis promoted in the first two chapters is missing. Chapter four, however, takes up the slack. Most of the details here; and the chapter is very detailed; are concerned with determining the identity, background, and credentials of providers of content on the net. Even when all the information is available on the Internet, chapter five notes that perception can be distorted by presentation. Web pages linked to supporting materials lend credibility to proposals that may very well be built on thin air, or at least badly lopsided foundations. Chapter six is an examination of the various models of libraries, traditional, online commercial, and Internet, that are developing in the current environment. Ultimately Gilster proposes a design that may not be fully supported by either the installed base of technology nor social will, but the discussion is a definite wakeup call for many information providers. But it is chapter seven that demonstrates the real strength of the net: the multiplicity of voices that can be accessed in any situation. This strength carries the inevitable downside and caveat: the reader/user is fully responsible for pursuing and judging the data. The price of being informed is eternal searching. As a singular book on a vital topic, this work is not written to the excellent standard of "Finding it on the Internet." A number of resources for analysis and information gathering are either missed, or mentioned only briefly. Time, of course, is one of the most important. Contrary to popular impression, the Internet is not necessarily a source of instant or ready answers. Development of resources is indispensable. While note was made of the need for search engines to check material presented on Web pages, the DejaNews and Rendezvous sites are useful as search engines on another matter: the determination of the history, interests, expertise, and biases of individuals. Mailing list archives can be another source of similar information. The last, best resource any seasoned netizen has is a circle of acquaintances; personal contacts with a range of experts in a variety of fields that would astound the literati of any pre-digital age. Gilster's look to the future, in chapter eight, is disappointing in light of the insightful work that preceded it. While fair and balanced, avoiding both the rose coloured digital crystal ball and the mechanized cyberpunk dystopia, this final piece in the book does not travel much beyond a generally informed look at short range futures in technology. Still, while the tag end does not provide you with any last minute advice or guidance, the book overall gives much useful advice on developing the new literacy of the digitally networked age. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1998
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Book description:

"Readers leery of ramping onto the information highway and surfers suffering Internet overload will value the solid advice supplied by Gilster." --Booklist. "Paul Gilster's intelligent, sobering look at the Internet is a breath of fresh air." --Amazon.com "This book sheds light on the skills that Web surfers need to separate the digital garbage from the golden nuggets of good data. It's a good place to start for adult newcomers to the information highway." --Courant Now in paper! Digital Literacy provides Internet novices with the basic thinking skills and core competencies they'll need to thrive in an interactive environment so fundamentally different from passive media. PAUL GILSTER (Raleigh, North Carolina) is the author of The Web Navigator and Finding It on the Internet which have sold over 200,000 copies.