Two or three years after publication large parts of this book feel heavily dated, but that's the problem with writing topical books. The first half is much stronger than the second, and it has the unpleasantly didactic and thesis-y feel of a punk-rocker-turned-academic, but Siva's ideas about the interaction and directions of technology and culture are essential.

I don't think this book is as dated as others do. The discussion of DRM and the p2p revolution is indeed dated, but still interesting, and the author's discussion of the purpose of copyright as a protective measure for both content creators and consumers is timeless. He beautifully lays out the implications of the corporate copyright machine and the complicity of Congress. He had me up until chapter 11, which is a disturbingly anti-American screed. Overall, a good read, though, and an easy one.

This book is from 2004, which means a lot of it can be read as a historical artifact - he spends A LOT of time talking about the issues surrounding music filesharing. He focuses on Napster and it's immediate successors, and this comes even before LimeWire. What this book is, is a discussion of the philosophical tensions surrounding the internet. There are corporate and governmental interests about control that find themselves in opposition to some of the "baked into the cake" anarchistic tendenc...

This book shows its age and that is why it gets the rating I gave it. When it was published it had some fascinating ideas and examples of how Fair Use Copyright has changed and evolved over time and how it needs to continue to evolve to keep up with the Digital Age. By favorite part of this book is about the legal ruling on the book The Wind Done Gone, because it relates directly to something that I am studying currently in British Literature. It is really a fascinating tale that you should Goog...

"Anarchy is not the ideal political state--far from it. But anarchists are onto something descriptively. Culture builds itself without leaders. Culture proliferates itself through consensus and revision. Culture works best when there is minimal authority and guidance. We must declare a desire for global cultural democracy." though it suffers for sprawl, vaidhyanthan's analysis of the political climate in the US immediately following 9/11 is worth the trudge through some of its more outdated stoc...

The author brings up very interesting ideas, discussing how culture and technologies are inherently anarchistic, and how oligarchies are constantly trying to harness these for control & profit, which may end up damaging or destroying them in the process. The 'anything goes' trading of Napster wasn't good for artist and content produces, but the tied-down DRM world is even worse in the long run.He definitely knows his material, but the writing just isn't that clear. He compares things to "Anarchi...

Four stars not because the writing is especially good, but because I think the content is pretty important. Not just for librarians, but for anyone who uses the internet, really. The Goodreads synopsis describes it as a "guide to one of the most important cultural and economic battlegrounds" — the battleground in question being the internet. I can't say I agree with everything he says, but it did get me to think about the nature of the Internet and creativity and control in different ways. The s...

A little more rambling and personal then most books I recommend on this subject, nevertheless "Anarchist in the Library" is an excellent look at the freedom of information issue. The author addresses how free flow of information effects far more then just the entertainment industry, discussing hard topics like terrorism, global trade, and human rights. He also looks at two the two opposing systems: anarchy and oligarchy and how both have the power to destroy our culture. He pleads for balance in...

A decent treatment on whether information should be given freely (via an anarchist model) or carefully managed and controlled via copyrights and courts.He starts with Napster, but quickly advances into theoretical plans and implications of both sides.Informational copyright is one of the biggest legal issues of this generation. I would put this book on a top 10 of "Books a responsible citizen needs to read".

Sida Vaidhyanathan's assessment of intellectual property laws and the Internet's undercurrent of anti-copyright sentiment is superficial at best. His rhetoric around 'anarchy' as it applies to knowledge makes little sense, but he happily pushes ahead, forging imagined "anarchists" who want to go about changing our intellectual property regimes by the "wrong" means.

This was like a print version of Jesse Brown's Search Engine podcast. SE is something I enjoy listening to very much, and were Vaidhyanathan's book to come out in audio I'd be all over like white on rice. It was interesting, but unfortunately I didn't get to finish it before my library term was up and back to the shelves at FVRL it went.

This sounds quite interesting, though I can only hope I won't be throwing it against the wall after the first page. I know a lot about Anarchy since I grew up in an "independent household" I suppose you could say.

I enjoyed this book and I refer to it often in papers I write. The author reminds us of the ideology behind a library and how if we're not careful our libraries will be nothing more than internet cafés. A great read if you're interested in filesharing technologies and libraries.

So far, this book is really incredible, but unfortunately, even though it's just a few years old--it's pretty dated, which is what happens I guess when you write about information or technology these days. Still, it is super recommended up to now.

The only book (I know of) that thoroughly explores the subject of infoanarchism. That being said, Vaidhyanathan is clearly more of a liberal than an anarchist.

This book is a more nuanced than his previous, Copyrights and Copywrongs.

Excellent for helping see the big picture of change in the information environment. I use it in my Cyberlaw and Infosphere class.

Bordering on 5 stars... This book was really very good. I look forward to reading more of his work. I just saw him speak at ALA.

Insightful in a few places, but otherwise badly dated and tells the same tale as better writers have done since (and before).

Should be required reading for all librarians. Great for anybody who's interested in intellectual property as a concept and whether it's valid.