Digital Literacy

Veteran cyber-journalist Gilster (The Internet Navigator; Finding It on the Internet) defines ""digital literacy"" as ""the ability to access networked computer resources and use them."" Here, he attempts to give novice users the skills to master the Internet for purposes beyond mere surfing and entertainment. In spite of Gilster's clear vision of the Net's place in culture and of where it might lead us all, this book doesn't seem a necessary step on the path. Much of the advice here--such as how to search the Internet productively--probably would be discovered at least as quickly through individual experimentation as by reading this book. After stating the obvious (""determining the appropriate keywords is, well, key""), in fact, Gilster admits that ""the only solution is to work your way with care through each engine's home page, looking for descriptive information about how it works."" Gilster's treatments of most subjects, from Net content evaluation to the basics of copyright law, seem too detailed for casual users and yet insufficiently comprehensive for those with more serious ambitions. Gilster makes a good case for how the Internet and libraries will work together as research tools, but the same case can't be made for the Net and this book. (Mar.)