Literature and Research of the LIS Field LIS510. Why study literature and research in the LIS field? Library literature is created with: –Development

Literature and Research of the LIS Field

LIS510

Why study literature and research in the LIS field?

• Library literature is created with:– Development of the modern library– Establishment of programs of education for librarians– Emergence of librarianship as a profession– Contribution of research on problems in the LIS field

• LIS research is important because:– Investigating problems for practical or theoretical

purposes– Advancing the knowledge and theory in the LIS field– Making LIS into a mature profession and discipline

Historical Account of LIS Literature

• Little was published before the 16th century, so little is known.

• A few works offered practical advice on library management in the 16th century, e.g.– Angelo Decembrio’s Politiae Literariae Angeli Decembrii (1540)– Angelo Roccha’s Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana (1591)

• In the 17th and 18th century, works on library administration & librarians’ qualifications:– Gabriel Naude’s Avis pour Dresser une Bibliotheque (1627)– John Dury’s The Reformed Librarie-Keeper (1650)– Cotton des Houssaye’s Duties and Qualifications of a Librarian

(1839)


• In the 19th century, the 1st library literature periodicals were published in Germany:– Serapeum (1840-1870)– Anzeiger fur Literatur der Bibliothekswissenschaft (1840-1886)

• In the 19th and 20th century, handbooks and manuals were most popular in Europe:– L.A. Constantin’s Bibliotheconomie (1841)– Julius Petzholdt’s Katechismus der Bibliothekenlehre (1877)– Arnim Graesel’s Handbuch der Bibliothekenlehre (1902)

• In the 19th century:– Government reports were important form of library literature in Great

Britain and USA– Two most influential librarian authors in Great Britain and the USA:

• Edward Edwards (Great Britain)• -Charles Coffin Jewett (USA)


• The year of 1876 began a new era in the history of a professional literature:– Dewey Decimal Classification– Library Journal

• Comparable works published in Great Britain and the USA in the 19th century:– Henry Benjamin’s How to Catalog a Library (1889)– Melvil Dewey’s Library School Rules (1889)– Thomas Greenwood’s Free Public Libraries (1886)– William Fletcher’s Public Libraries in America (1894)


• In the early 20th century:– ALA’s early publications were reference works:

• ALA Catalog (1904)• Guide to the Study and Use of Reference Books/Guide to Reference Books (1902)

• In the 1st half of the 20th century:• Carnegie Corporation’s contributions to finance library literature:• C.C. Williamson’s Training for Library Service (1923)• -Charles B. Shaw’s List of Books for College Libraries (1930)• -Library Quarterly (1931- ) – from pragmatic literature to emphasizing social

research• -Pierce Butler’s An Introduction to Library Science (1933)• -William Randall & F.L.D. Goodrich’s Principles of College Library

Administration (1936)• -B.H. Branscomb’s Teaching with Books (1936)• -Robert Leigh’s The Public Library in the United States (1950)• -L.R. McColvin’s The Public Library System of Great Britain (1942)


• National associations played a prominent role in the evolution of library literature:– Publications in the ALA Catalog of Publications grew from 39

(1913) to 244 (1933)– American Library Association’s series of Library Curriculum

Studies– Library Association’s The LA Series of Manuals

• Bibliographic access to library literature:– H.W. Wilson index called Library Work (early 19th century)– American Reuben Guild’s The Librarian’s Manual (1858)– H.G.T. Canon’s Bibliography of Library Economy (1927)– Margaret Burton & Marion Vosburgh’s Bibliography of

Librarianship (1934)– Fritz Milkau’s Handbuch der Bibliothekswissenschaft (1931-

1942)


• Other major contributions to library literature:– S.R. Ranganathan’s The Five Laws of Library Science (1931)– Colon Classification (1933)

• In the 2nd half of the 20th century:• Periodical literature became the primary method of communication:

– ALA’s American Libraries (1970- )– Library Association’s Journal of Librarianship (1970- )– Federal Republic of Germany’s Bibliothekdienst (1967- )– People’s Republic of China’s Tushuguanxue Tongxun (1979- )– UNESCO’s UNESCO Bulletin for Libraries (1947-1978)– UNESCO’s UNESCO Journal of Library and Information Science (1979-

1983)– IFLA’s IFLA Journal (1975- )– International Federation of Documentation’s International Forum on

Information


• Specialized journals in library and information science:– Library Resources and Technical Services (1957- )– Audiovisual Librarian (1973- )– School Library Media Quarterly (1972- )– Cataloging and Classification Quarterly (1980- )– Reference and User Services Quarterly (1960- )– Journal of Internet Cataloging (1997- )

• LIS journals devoted to research:– Library Trends (1952- )– Library and Culture (1966 -) – formerly Journal of Library History– Journal of the American Society for Information Science (1970- )– Library and Information Science Research (1979- )– Journal of Documentation (1945- )– Information Processing and Management (1975- )– Journal of Information Science (1979- )


• Famous textbooks in LIS literature:– Bohdan Wynar’s Introduction to Cataloging and

Classification (1964, 1st edition)– W.A. Katz’s Introduction to Reference Work (1969,

1st edition)

• Other major types of LIS literature:– Conference proceedings, e.g. ASIS– Government sponsored research reports– Master research papers and doctoral dissertations– Miscellaneous publications from libraries, library

schools, associations

Online Resources in LIS

• Library Literature: by H.W. Wilson; full-text

• LISA (Library and Information Science Abstract)

• ISTA (Information Science and Technology Abstracts)

Documents

Literature and Research of the LIS Field LIS510. Why study literature and research in the LIS field? Library literature is created with: –Development