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)

Historical Account of LIS Literature In the 19th century, the 1st library literature periodicals were published in Germany: –Serapeum ( ) –Anzeiger fur Literatur der Bibliothekswissenschaft ( ) 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)

Historical Account of LIS Literature 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)

Historical Account of LIS Literature 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)

Historical Account of LIS Literature 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 ( )

Historical Account of LIS Literature 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 ( ) –UNESCO’s UNESCO Journal of Library and Information Science ( ) –IFLA’s IFLA Journal (1975- ) –International Federation of Documentation’s International Forum on Information

Historical Account of LIS Literature 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- )

Historical Account of LIS Literature 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)