Studies in technical and social influences on information and library management

The works in this submission explore a specific segment of information management and the way technology and social forces, including political and legal aspects, have impinged upon it. The specific area of data protection in theory and practice was chosen as an exemplar of the many and varied influences in this context which have to some extent, changed irrevocably the manager's world. Other examples such as computer misuse, information technology health and safety implications and electronic intellectual property issues might equally have been candidates for consideration since they all embody similar combinations of technological and sociolegal components. Data protection was, however, considered worthy of treatment as it is a relatively neglected area in terms of the attention it has claimed both from practitioners and researchers. Moreover, it does neatly represent the interesting juxtaposition of broadly technical and social factors that confront the manager.