208 GOVERNMENT INFORMATION QUARTERLY Vol. 1 ~/NO. 2/1996

Networking costs should also be considered. The Auto-Graphics product may be used through a network with no additional licensing fees. MARCIVE, too, assesses no additional fee on local area networks but limits this to the first four simultaneous users. SILVERPLATTER, however, does charge additional fees after the first simultaneous user.

A library’s clientele, of course, should be the main focus when selecting any product designed to enhance access to its collections. Although the product from SILVERPLATTER offers a

powerful command-driven search system, the overall drawbacks of the database are considerable and should be weighed carefully during the selection process. Subscriptions to all three products require ongoing financial commitments, and the features of both the Auto-Graphics and MARCIVE products make the investment a worthwhile one.

Beyond National Sovereignty: International Communication in the 1990s. Edited by Kaarle

Nordenstreng and Herbert I. Schiller. Norword, NJ: Ablex Publishing Co., 1992. 483 pages. $85.00 (paper). ISBN O-89-39 l-9594.

Reviewed by Steve McKenzie, Librarian, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania 17013 <mckenzie@dickinson.edu>.

What will the global political and economical picture look like in the next century? Will it be a world torn apart by rival hegemonies, plagued by an ecological malaise, or forever wounded by political upheaval? What about communication and information policies in this brave new world, those commodities valued so highly by information policy analysts? Will information

receive equitable dissemination, a fair and impartial handling in cultural and political arenas in the near future? Or, will it become the property of media elites, the purview of the powerful, the manipulative tool of the exploitative ? These, and other questions, are the focus of Nordenstreng and Schiller’s collection of essays.

The contributors paint the global future in anything by glowing colors. They begin by taking the decline of national sovereignty as their point of departure. In their analysis, nations will be

less isolated, and global society will become increasingly multicultural and transnational in outlook. The advantages of such a scenario suggest a great potential for enhanced understanding among regions of the world. But, the authors argue, this promise of enlightenment will be offset

by a cacophony of problems. Countries that enjoy advanced economies, able to take advantage of the expanding global information infrastructure, will create hegemonies-economic spheres of influence that will often stifle and control the economic destinies of less economically developed nations in a particular region. This emerging disparity between the rich and poor nations will

only expand. Economic equity will be even more difficult to achieve among, and within, these regions.

In light of this speculative view of the future, Beyond National Sovereignty raises a host of issues and offers a plethora of insights. It explores international communication through a variety of contexts and from several national perspectives. One chapter, for instance, discusses Brazilian soap operas and another, the contradictions of the Finish broadcasting industry. The contributors themselves represent an equally diverse spectrum of research and national interests, with scholars from Europe, North and South America, Africa, and Asia.

Despite this, the book suffers from a measure of tendentiousness and, in other ways, a lack of balance. The chapters that focus on current Latin American approaches to cultural imperialism and those that highlight transnational and national medias are fascinating. The chapters analyzing international and organizational use of communication and the propagandistic use of television are also of value. However, none of the contributions defend the advantages of a market-based

Reviews 209

economy and the free flow of information, or even suggest that there might be clear disadvantages to public broadcasting. Even the relatively solid chapter on transborder data flows fails to deal in any meaningful way with the question, even as of when the book went to press in the early 199Os, of the growing potential of the global information infrastructure. A more balanced approach, one that entertained a disparate range of viewpoints from Marxist to libertarian or from liberal to conservative, would have strengthened the volume’s arguments and persuasiveness. It would have also increased its level of readability. Those with a specific interest in global information policy issues will need to consider reading this title. Others will want to pass it by, because it is not a book for everyone.

Bridging the Gap: Examining Polarity in America. Edited by Nancy I. Herron and Diane Zabel. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, Inc. 1995. 380 pages. $50.00 (cloth). ISBN 1-56308-l 14-8.

Reviewed by Fenghua Wang-Schaefer, Social Sciences and Government Documents Librarians, State University of New York at Purchase, Purchase, New York 10577-1440 <fwang@brick.purcahse.edu>.

The literature on the future policy directions and effectiveness of government programs affecting poverty, welfare, crimes, immigration, health care, and environmental protection has expanded greatly over the last few years. Bridging the Gap attempts to summarize all of the issues involved by putting together existing research material, synthesizing its content, and offering timely research guides. It is an effort that will benefit students and scholars.

The book’s contributors provide both historical perspectives of these diverse government policies as well as current social attitudes and conditions. Each of the chapters (which cover such topics as “Law and Criminal Justice,” “ Poverty, Welfare, and Unemployment,” and “Caregiving and Caregivers”) concludes with a comprehensive bibliography and reference guide for locating additional information. All of the issues discussed are intertwined in the context of America’s social, ideological, and cultural environments and will require significant changes to nearly all of the govemments’(local, state, and national) public policies. While the chapters do not attempt to provide solutions to these pressing problems, they do give researchers critical bibliographic references to major parts of the policy literature. All of the chapters are well written, thoroughly researched, and extremely useful.

The Internet Business Book. By Jill H. Ellsworth and Matthew V. Ellsworth. New York: Wiley and Sons, 1994.376 pages. $22.95 (paper). ISBN O-471-05890-2. LC 94-17865.

Reviewed by Laura M. Quilter, Electronic Services Librarian, Libraries, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60607 <lauramd@uic.edu>.

The Internet Business Book purports to be “a complete guide to what the Internet is and how to get access; marketing and creating a corporate presence; sales, advertising, and customer support; business, marketing, and sales resources.” Insofar as it goes, that description is accurate. There are two basic problems with this text. One is that the most useful information-how the Internet can be used as a marketing tool-is only two out of five of the chapters. The second problem is that the book is now out of date.

The text is divided into five sections. The first section is an appropriately brief overview of Internet basics. The most unique and, therefore, valuable information is contained within