How do you find your way in an age of information overload? How can you filter streams of complex information to pull out only what you want? Wh... read full description
reviews
Sep 27, 2010
Oleg
rated it: 
As a person who only last year finished a degree in Information Science, I must admit that a lot of Ambient Findability was review. That is not to say that it wasn't presented in a sensical way with the author's intellect and enthusiasm clearly visible.
When I picked up Ambient Findability I expected that it would be a SEO how-to, it was not. Instead the book took us through the hits of "findability" from wayfinding in ancient times to the present-day web and mobile devices (c More...
When I picked up Ambient Findability I expected that it would be a SEO how-to, it was not. Instead the book took us through the hits of "findability" from wayfinding in ancient times to the present-day web and mobile devices (c More...
Jan 18, 2009
Elizabeth
rated it: 
Author spends a lot of time talking about the history of wayfinding and uses a lot of mostly irrelevant glossy photos to illustrate along the way. Perhaps the glossy pictures are there to make the presentation more "interesting," but most do not add anything to the text.
I took away two key points from this book - one from chapter 6 and one from chapter 7 - the last two chapters in the book...
The first key point is that tagging information helps us locate it - bu More...
I took away two key points from this book - one from chapter 6 and one from chapter 7 - the last two chapters in the book...
The first key point is that tagging information helps us locate it - bu More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Sep 28, 2011
Sarah
rated it: 
Ambient Findability by Peter Morville is often used as a textbook in the reference course I took. The professor I took it from didn't include the book but the title and the fact that it was published by O'Reilly Media piqued my interest enough to want to read it as the class was starting up.
Although the description mentions information overload, the book isn't really about that. It's about how information and people hook up. There is the information that one seeks and that which fall More...
Although the description mentions information overload, the book isn't really about that. It's about how information and people hook up. There is the information that one seeks and that which fall More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Oct 10, 2007
Rachel
rated it:
This book is kind of a "state of the field" summary for information search and discovery, a hot topic these days. It covers the concepts of search and discovery, and findability, as well as the technologies that are currently developing and show promise (though it was published in 2005, so it's a bit out of date already). There is some discussion of how to make things findable, the relevance to libraries and information-based institutions, and what knowledge might look like in anothe
More...
Jan 12, 2010
Mark
rated it: 
* Mentioned as read over break for 590RO. My succinct review, “tripe.” http://marklindner.info/blog/2007/01/21/...
* A story about how this book itself is not so ambiently findable, which I still find extremely humorous. http://marklindner.info/blog/2007/01/01/...
* A story about how this book itself is not so ambiently findable, which I still find extremely humorous. http://marklindner.info/blog/2007/01/01/...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Aug 06, 2011
This book is six years old, and is somewhat dated now - we all have the SmartPhones and the effects he "predicted" we would soon have from them - a mere 18 months after this book was published. Still, the articles and books he cites look interesting, and his focus on large data sets and metadata to make use of them is still timely.
May 15, 2011
Amy
rated it:
A coworker loaned this book to me, but I don't think enough time has elapsed since graduation (almost ten years ago!) for me to be able to enjoy an academic book. I wanted it to be practical and applicable, or I wanted to read about research presented in layman's terms. Instead, this felt very conceptual and theoretical and historical.
The last three chapters were ok, but I still don't feel like I learned much. For most of the book I felt like I'd walked into the room in the middle of More...
The last three chapters were ok, but I still don't feel like I learned much. For most of the book I felt like I'd walked into the room in the middle of More...
Aug 08, 2011
An interesting flyover of the world of Ontologies, Folksonomies, and findability in general, this book felt a bit short on actionable insight and is now a bit dated in the world of ubiquitous smartphones and social / geo applications.
Oct 05, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
Peter Morville talks about how we are becoming more and more surrounded by information. It's getting harder to make things findable. In his discussion he includes emerging technology, Wittgenstein, library science, adn what makes a good webpage.
Jan 13, 2009
Rachel
rated it:
If you're at all interested in SEO, take the leap and learn about findability. Morville has great examples that give concrete explanations of abstract ideas. He's a good writer too, so you'll stay entertained while you learn.
Jan 29, 2009
Andree Bourgeois, distant relative and librarianne extraordinaire...told me about this one as well. If you dig the power of the Internet to bring likeminded people together, you will enjoy this. :)
Sep 09, 2007
Penny
rated it:
I enjoyed this quick tour of information and how we find and use it. I appreciated the balanced view Morville presents. On the one hand, there is optimism, because so much information is so accessible to so many people. On the other hand, there is a thoughtful acknowledgment of the "dark side:" information overload, possible threats to privacy, and our proneness to the fast food mentality in how we consume information.
I read this for a class, so I might have more to say More...
I read this for a class, so I might have more to say More...
Apr 18, 2010
Sam
rated it:
This was a great look at how we find things starting from a global scale with a focus on computers and the internet. Brings a wonderful new way at looking at things.
Dec 21, 2008
Alex
rated it:
This was assigned for Special Topics in Information Architecture. When I finished reading it, I realized it was one of the best books I've ever read. A little scatterbrained, but hey.
Oct 03, 2010
Amanda
rated it:
Not the most well-written book ever, but still surprisingly relevant. A good jumpstart back into the world of information science!
Mar 23, 2010
Kumanan
rated it:
Very interesting. Since the book was published five years ago, some of the concepts were familiar to me. Overall it was worth reading.
Mar 14, 2010
Marlies
rated it:
Had to read this for a class, and it's really fascinating! All about information, technology, marketing--very interesting.
Oct 30, 2009
Gina
rated it:
This author offers an interesting take on searching for something, whether it is a physical place or information in a database.
Nov 04, 2009
Tyler
rated it:
For a professional book, this book lacked the cohesion I expected. I'm not too enthused about this subject, so a lack of a consistent aspect was difficult for me when pushing along in this book.
Jan 06, 2012
Edwin
rated it:
Really worth reading: makes you reconsider many things about searching and finding. Well written!
Jan 26, 2011
Ambient Findability by Peter Morville. Parts search, philosophy, psychology, and futurism.
Jan 13, 2010
Very interesting and easy to read view of what is happening with technology in our daily lives.
Feb 04, 2011
Tom
rated it:
I liked this book - it is an interesting history and exploration of information architecture. Although it's style was a bit rambling at times, many of the ideas presented were quite prescient and enlightening.
Feb 25, 2009
Mary
rated it:
I am re-reading this book yet again because I find that the concepts consistently show up time and time again in my professional day job. I think that anyone, information scientist or librarian or not, should read this book at least once. I often have to relay complicated information concepts and processes to my users on a daily basis and I find that Peter Morville is able to explain things in way that users can relate to easily--it helps me to get creative in my educational materials for my o
More...
Dec 31, 2008
Marijka
rated it:
A fun, inspiring read, to jostle your imagination of information structure. The theme of way finding follows through the book. Great take aways include the concept of "Intertwingled" and that the path influences the destination.
Mar 01, 2011
Angela
rated it:
Read this for grad school. Actually, much better than I expected. It was written long enough ago that all the discussions about social networking don't yet mention Facebook. Makes me realize how fast things advance in the technology world.
