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Article
Publication date: 1 July 1994

Michael Afolabi

Identifies the various careers associated with library and informationscience. Apart from the existing information careers described, alsoidentifies new related areas. Notes that…

1850

Abstract

Identifies the various careers associated with library and information science. Apart from the existing information careers described, also identifies new related areas. Notes that a re‐training programme is necessary if library and information science graduates are to fit into the new information‐related jobs and that African departments of library and information science should review their training objectives and curricula to cater for information‐related jobs other than the training of librarians. Submits that library jobs are becoming increasingly difficult to come by and points out the need to prepare the library and information science graduate for other equally profitable and exciting areas.

Details

New Library World, vol. 95 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4803

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 January 2010

Radovan Vrana

The purpose of this paper is to present the findings from the research carried out among the directors of Croatian public libraries about cooperation between public libraries and…

1802

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the findings from the research carried out among the directors of Croatian public libraries about cooperation between public libraries and the academic community and about promotion of science in Croatian public libraries. Owing to their number, strategic position in society and the skills and knowledge of librarians, public libraries have an opportunity to cooperate more intensively with the scientific community, expand their holdings with science‐related content and to offer new services. Some already cooperate with the Croatian scientific community by participating in joint research projects and in promoting science. Although cooperation with the scientific community is not among their priorities, Croatian public libraries are enthusiastic to continue with this type of activity.

Design/methodology/approach

The first part of the paper offers an introduction followed by a short review of the current position of public libraries in society and possibilities for strengthening their position by cooperating with the scientific community (in the second part of the paper). The third part introduces the research among the directors of Croatian public libraries followed by the presentation of the findings of the same research. An online survey consisting of 19 closed questions was used as a method of research. An e‐mail invitation to participate in the research was sent to all public libraries in Croatia.

Practical implications

The outcome of the research may serve as an orientation to the members of the Croatian academic community when planning new cooperation with public libraries and vice versa. The findings of the research may also serve as an orientation to the directors of Croatian public libraries when considering expansions of their holdings with new material related to science and in the development of new offline and online services.

Findings

The strategic position of public libraries in society makes them of interest for promotion of results of developments in many areas of human endeavour, including science, by using their holdings, services and premises. According to the research findings, public libraries participate actively in popularisation of science by using their existing holdings and services. Public libraries in Croatia are promoting science actively and are participating in scientific projects led by scientific institutions. Their holdings contain popular science titles, and they offer services to facilitate access to scientific information. Public libraries included in the survey plan to continue with the promotion of science, as they believe that this activity is important for them.

Originality/value

The paper aims to advance understanding of the role of public libraries in Croatia and their role in promotion of science, and contributes to the growth of library and information science literature on topics related to public libraries.

Details

New Library World, vol. 111 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4803

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 July 2011

Chengzhi Wang

No scholarly publications have systematically studied the evolution and growth of China's scientific papers of library and information science published in the English language…

1179

Abstract

Purpose

No scholarly publications have systematically studied the evolution and growth of China's scientific papers of library and information science published in the English language and covered by ISI during the reform era starting in 1979. It is intended that this paper should fill this gap.

Design/methodology/approach

This study surveys ISI library and information science papers authored by researchers of China during 1979‐2009 and quantitatively presents the development of scholarly publications authored by researchers from China. A total of 30 years of data of ISI literature are collected and analyzed, and the paper conducts an international comparison of research productivity among leading Asian countries.

Findings

The paper establishes the patterns and trends of papers authored by Chinese authors, particularly the top subject areas and top journals in which Chinese papers are highly represented. Besides, the paper makes an international comparison between China and other major Asian countries such as India, Japan, and Korea in terms of library and information science research outputs represented in ISI literature. China has become the leader in terms of research productivity of library and information science.

Research limitations/implications

This study focuses on English‐language journal articles only. Only journals meeting ISI inclusion criteria are reviewed and analyzed. The possible accidentally inaccurate entries in the original ISI data have not been checked for accuracy and consistency for each journal article record.

Originality/value

The paper provided an example of using the powerful ISI databases of citation indexes, particularly ISI SCCI, in a cautious and critical way. It empirically presents the overall upward development of China's scholarship of library and information science. Either the Greater China area as a whole or Mainland China alone has become the leader in the scholarly publications in library and information ahead of India, Korea and Japan.

Details

Library Management, vol. 32 no. 6/7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-5124

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 July 1973

P. Dansey

A statistical analysis is made of the professional literature of librarians and information scientists in an attempt to uncover the patterns of information flow and to evaluate…

Abstract

A statistical analysis is made of the professional literature of librarians and information scientists in an attempt to uncover the patterns of information flow and to evaluate the abstracting services provided for information workers. Citation analysis of some English language information science journals throws light on the principal sources used by British and American information scientists and the linguistic and national biases in the citations given. The growth of the subject matter published in the field of information science is displayed. Five abstracting services are evaluated. Their scope in terms of the language, country of origin, subject matter and format of the material selected and abstracted is determined. Coverage is assessed in comparison with three bibliographies in this subject area. Currency is determined from NRLSI acquisition dates. Key journals are found from productivity analysis of the abstracted journals. Conclusions are drawn as to the adequacy of the present services and suggestions made for possible improvements.

Details

Aslib Proceedings, vol. 25 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0001-253X

Article
Publication date: 18 April 2008

Musa Wakhungu Olaka

To provide an overview of library and information science education in Rwanda.

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Abstract

Purpose

To provide an overview of library and information science education in Rwanda.

Design/methodology/approach

Description mainly through personal experience.

Findings

The history of library manpower development in Rwanda has been turbulent. Establishing the first ever formal library and information science program has had many challenges. However, graduates from the program are slowly and steadily changing the library landscape in Rwanda.

Originality/value

Library and information science education in Rwanda has not been well documented and particularly challenges in faced in establishing a formal library and information science program.

Details

Library Review, vol. 57 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0024-2535

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 April 2023

Peilin Tian and Le Wang

This study aims to reveal the topic structure and evolutionary trends of health informatics research in library and information science.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to reveal the topic structure and evolutionary trends of health informatics research in library and information science.

Design/methodology/approach

Using publications in Web of Science core collection, this study combines informetrics and content analysis to reveal the topic structure and evolutionary trends of health informatics research in library and information science. The analyses are conducted by Pajek, VOSviewer and Gephi.

Findings

The health informatics research in library and information science can be divided into five subcommunities: health information needs and seeking behavior, application of bibliometrics in medicine, health information literacy, health information in social media and electronic health records. Research on health information literacy and health information in social media is the core of research. Most topics had a clear and continuous evolutionary venation. In the future, health information literacy and health information in social media will tend to be the mainstream. There is room for systematic development of research on health information needs and seeking behavior.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to analyze the topic structure and evolutionary trends of health informatics research based on the perspective of library and information science. This study helps identify the concerns and contributions of library and information science to health informatics research and provides compelling evidence for researchers to understand the current state of research.

Article
Publication date: 1 August 2001

Jingli Chu

The names of library schools were changed from library science to library and information science in the mid‐1980s, and to information management a decade later. This paper…

602

Abstract

The names of library schools were changed from library science to library and information science in the mid‐1980s, and to information management a decade later. This paper analyzes the context surrounding the renaming, discusses the effects it caused in LIS education, including educational objectives, curriculum system, teachers’ qualifications and employment market, and describes briefly the prospects in LIS education in China.

Details

New Library World, vol. 102 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4803

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 August 2022

Amy Duxfield and Chern Li Liew

This study aims to examine the imagining of libraries and the depiction of library services in contemporary science fiction novels. Analyses of libraries in contemporary science…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the imagining of libraries and the depiction of library services in contemporary science fiction novels. Analyses of libraries in contemporary science fiction may reveal expectations of libraries and the roles they play in future societies. These may, in turn, be used by the library profession to innovate and to discover opportunities to design and improve library services that meet the expectations of library users now and in the future.

Design/methodology/approach

This research applied a content analysis approach to examine references to libraries in a purposeful sample of science fiction novels published between 2009 and 2019. The sample consists of 29 novels selected from the 2010–2020 winners of the Hugo Award for Best Novel, The Nebula Award for Best Novel, the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, The Philip K Dick Award and the Arthur C Clarke Award.

Findings

This research finds that libraries are a common feature within contemporary science fiction novels, primarily as part of the background setting of the narratives. Libraries are particularly common in peri-apocalyptic novels, often as “reinvented” libraries. This research identifies considerable differences in the way libraries and information access and use are depicted and documented in science fiction worlds of plenty, compared to those of scarcity. Other key themes discussed include freedom of access to information, and the supposedly common negative stereotyping of libraries.

Originality/value

Existing literature indicates anxiety about the future of libraries which the findings of this research do not support. The insights gained suggested instead, the emergence of an image of libraries as being embedded in the fabric of societies. This indicates the expectation of the place and role of libraries in contemporary societies. Libraries and their services must be adeptly placed and woven into the many facets of the societies they serve.

Article
Publication date: 4 October 2022

Carolyn Caffrey, Hannah Lee, Tessa Withorn, Maggie Clarke, Amalia Castañeda, Kendra Macomber, Kimberly M. Jackson, Jillian Eslami, Aric Haas, Thomas Philo, Elizabeth Galoozis, Wendolyn Vermeer, Anthony Andora and Katie Paris Kohn

This paper presents recently published resources on library instruction and information literacy. It provides an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper presents recently published resources on library instruction and information literacy. It provides an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of publications covering various library types, study populations and research contexts. The selected bibliography is useful to efficiently keep up with trends in library instruction for busy practitioners, library science students and those wishing to learn about information literacy in other contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

This article annotates 424 English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations, theses and reports on library instruction and information literacy published in 2021. The sources were selected from the EBSCO platform for Library, Information Science, and Technology Abstracts (LISTA), Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Scopus, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, and WorldCat, published in 2021 that included the terms “information literacy,” “library instruction,” or “information fluency” in the title, abstract or keywords. The sources were organized in Zotero. Annotations summarize the source, focusing on the findings or implications. Each source was categorized into one of seven pre-determined categories: K-12 Education, Children and Adolescents; Academic and Professional Programs; Everyday Life, Community, and the Workplace; Libraries and Health Information Literacy; Multiple Library Types; and Other Information Literacy Research and Theory.

Findings

The paper provides a brief description of 424 sources and highlights sources that contain unique or significant scholarly contributions.

Originality/value

The information may be used by librarians, researchers and anyone interested as a quick and comprehensive reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy within 2021.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 50 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1993

Michael Afolabi

Examines the productivity of journals which published articles onlibrary and information sciences on Kenya from 1961 to 1991 to determinethe number of articles published by each…

Abstract

Examines the productivity of journals which published articles on library and information sciences on Kenya from 1961 to 1991 to determine the number of articles published by each journal, the core productive journals and authors, the language, subject and title dispersion of journals and the extent to which the journals are indexed and abstracted. The methods adopted were frequency distribution, percentages and the graphical application of Bradford′s law. Reveals that 74 journals published 414 articles on the subject. Maktaba was the most productive journal; Otike was the most productive author; dispersion of articles among journals and subjects was low; English language accounted for 95.7 per cent of the literature; indexing coverage of the journals is 39 per cent, while abstracting coverage is 44 per cent.

Details

New Library World, vol. 94 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4803

Keywords

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