Academic libraries and development: A bibliometric analysis of LIS journals relating to funding

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine publication patterns of scholarly literature related to academic libraries and development (i.e. funding), including publication trends over a five-year period, core journals and authorship, so that library directors and library development officers will have a basic collection of relevant resources.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology consisted of journal article searches in three databases relating to the field of library information science with 2006-2010 as the date limiter. The primary search terms came from the topic of this study and were joined to secondary-level search terms by using the Boolean operator: AND. Secondary-level keywords originated from the literature review and the search process. Results were stored in an Excel file based on pre-determined categories and were evaluated based on the research questions.

Findings

There were 106 articles published on the topic of academic libraries and development authored by 164 individuals, pairs, groups or associations during the five-year period of 2006-2010. In 2010, the greatest number of articles (35) was published on the topic, but in 2008, the least number (14) was published.

Originality/value

This study takes the bibliometric analysis approach, which has rarely been used on the topic of academic libraries and development work with the specific focus on library funding. It provides a foundation for further research on the topic, as well as resources to be used by library practitioners.

Citation

Sootheran, J. (2014), "Academic libraries and development: A bibliometric analysis of LIS journals relating to funding", The Bottom Line, Vol. 27 No. 3, pp. 107-122. https://doi.org/10.1108/BL-04-2014-0008