Preface by the authors

Richard Vines and Dr Bill Hall have observed the media and publishing industries now for many years from several different perspectives. Both of us believe that what we are witnessing today is not an industry adjusting to small incremental changes in technology, but rather the early stages of a complete transformation in the way humans construct, record, manage, retrieve and use knowledge – a new type of reformation.

The media and publishing industries are at the front line of this new era. But, as heirs of the Gutenberg printing press, are the media and publishing industries well poised for the challenges that lie ahead? Can the natural custodians of the traditional print and publishing industries automatically inherit a sustainable place in the new and emerging industries that are developing via the application of digital technologies and internet protocols?

We believe such inheritance should not be taken for granted. It must be claimed. There are important traditions and practices embedded in these industries which need to be carried forward into the future – as more and more work and communication infrastructure is being transformed by the impact of digital technologies.

We have written a series of modules about the changes that are occurring across the media and publishing industries. The idea is to explore the nature of technological change. In presenting the attached packages of information, we hope to briefly highlight some key implications for organizations, both large and small as they grapple with the impact of such change.