The physical dimension of information space
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/07378830210733972 |
| Date | 01 March 2002 |
| Published date | 01 March 2002 |
| Pages | 6-7 |
| Author | Michael Seadle |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
The physical dimension
of information space
Michael Seadle
There will always be unintended effects of new
technologies. Some of these unintended effects will
be fortuitous and some less so (Nardi and O'Day,
1999, p. 41).
Fixed-feature space is one of the basic ways of
organizing the activities of individuals and groups.
It includes material manifestations as well as the
hidden, internalized designed that govern behavior
as man moves about on this earth. Buildings are
one expression of fixed-feature patterns, but
buildings are also grouped together in
characteristic ways as well as being divided
internally according to culturally determined
designs (Hall, 1966, p. 97).
One of the unintended effects of new
information technology has been the
obsolescence of the buildings housing the
technology. This seems surprising in part
because the technology itself does not directly
depend on any particular configuration of
physical space. Indeed, the portability of new
devices like laptop computers (mine weighs a
scant 3.5lb or 1.6kg) seems to defy spatial
restrictions. It weighs no more than some
textbooks, and holds in its battery enough
power for several hours of active work. I can use
my laptop sitting on a bench beside the Red
Cedar River with the usual gaggle of ducks
quacking for bread just as well as I can use it in
my office in the technology-rich Digital and
Multimedia Center. It is even possible for me to
use a wireless network and connect to e-mail,
the Internet, even library databases when
outside, or while sitting in an unimproved
1960s era building with too few electric outlets
and no Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP) ports.
Information technology can be building-
independent, but our buildings are not
technology-independent. When inside, it makes
sense to save the laptop battery by plugging it
into the nearest outlet, which means that seats
near outlets go first. This phenomenon is
particularly obvious in airports, where hordes of
business travelers scout every wall and pillar for
an open plug, and will even sit on the floor in
their pinstripes, if necessary. When inside, it
also makes sense to use a cable to link to a
network connection. Physical connections are
faster, more secure, and less prone to
interruption.
As voluntary-use facilities, libraries will grow
emptier if they offer mainly pre-laptop seating,
The author
Michael Seadle is Editor of
Library Hi Tech
.
Keywords
Technology, Architecture, Libraries
Abstract
One of the unintended effects of new information
technology has been the obsolescence of the buildings
housing the technology. Information technology can be
building-independent, but our buildings are not technology-
independent. As voluntary-use facilities, libraries will grow
emptier unless they create an ambience where the physical
space matches the cultural space of modern technology.
Electronic access
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Editorial
6
Library Hi Tech
Volume 20 .Number 1 .2002 .pp. 6±7
#MCB UP Limited .ISSN 0737-8831
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