Library and Information Science An interdisciplinary field that examines how physical and digital information is organized, accessed, collected, managed, disseminated and used, particularly in library settings. as a Discipline
Before jumping into the literature, it’s essential to contextualize the field of LIS An interdisciplinary field that examines how physical and digital information is organized, accessed, collected, managed, disseminated and used, particularly in library settings. as a discipline. Librarians have a long, complicated history identifying the various specialties, skills, and professional activities under one disciplinary umbrella. Library and Information Science is grounded in its origins of librarianship as a vocation, but it also grew from library science as an extension of arts and humanities principles and information science from the scope of science and technology.
The qualifying credential for librarianship in the United States reflects this complex history, with programs housed in varying educational departments. Often, programs housed in social science, business, computing and technology, education, or humanities departments identify as library science or library and information science, while others have swapped the “library” altogether for information science, information schools, or iSchools. As a result, research produced in the LIS field can be considered pluri-, multi-, trans-, meta-, or interdisciplinary.
It is beyond the scope of this lesson to provide an exhaustive and thorough history of the LIS field. However, your research agenda An iterative document or statement that provides a roadmap to your short and long term topics and ideas you’d like to research. and subsequent products are a reflection of your participation in the LIS discourse community. Situating yourself within this context helps you define your research questions, understand the methodologies and evidence considered valid by your peers, and identify publishing outlets and venues in the field. Additionally, it will equip you to critically evaluate other disciplinary research you encounter.
To that end, the following represents a brief introduction The start of a research article providing background information and an overview of the research presented in the article. to disciplinary norms developed by LIS researchers:
- Environment: Academic libraries are overly represented in LIS literature, in both authorship and research focus. The American Library Association (ALA) only provides scholarship standards and metrics targeted to academic librarians.
- Authorship: On average, LIS authors publish with at least one or two co-authors, and single authors are more common than larger research teams.
- Theoretical paradigms and research methods: One of the largest critiques of LIS as a discipline is its reliance on borrowing techniques, perspectives, and methodologies from other fields rather than developing its own identity, a consequence of the field emerging from related disciplines like computing and technology, education, and humanities. Generally, though, the trends in publishing have led to a number of consistent paradigms: a systematic approach A paradigm in LIS research where research is a quantitative assessment of library and information systems and operations. focusing on quantitative assessment of library and information systems and operations; a cognitive approach A paradigm in LIS research where research is focused on the information-seeking behavior of individuals. focusing on the individual’s information-seeking behavior; and a socio-cognitive approach A paradigm in LIS research where the research is focused on understanding the information-seeking behaviors and practices of social groups. focusing on information-seeking behavior and practices in social groups. Researchers draw on a variety of methods from quantitative, qualitative, positivist The idea that knowledge is created through neutral and measurable ways. If something cannot be observed, gathered, and quantified, then that knowledge cannot be known for certain. , realist The idea that knowledge is not complete and that there is not an objective view on the world. Therefore, various theories about the world are grounded in a perspective and worldview., constructivist The idea that knowledge is not neutral and instead knowledge is constructed by people based on their own experiences and through social construction of the world., and interpretivist The idea that knowledge is subjective and constructed based on the context of time and society. Because of this, the researcher brings their own perspective to research and that viewpoint influences and shapes the way they approach research. schools of thought.
Topic 1 References
Ȧström, Fredrik. “Formalizing a Discipline: The Institutionalization of Library and Information Science Research in the Nordic Countries.” Journal of Documentation 64, no. 5 (2008): 721:737. doi.org/10.1108/00220410810899736.
Burnett, Kathleen M., and Laurie J. Bonniici. “Contested Terrain: Accreditation and the Future of the Profession of Librarianship.” Library Quarterly 76, no. 2 (2006): 193-219. doi.org/10.1086/506462.
Simmons, Michelle H. “Librarians as Disciplinary Discourse Mediators: Using Genre Theory to Move toward Critical Information Literacy.” portal: Libraries & the Academy 5, no. 3 (2005): 297-311. doi.org/10.1353/pla.2005.0041.
Winkler, Bea, and Kiszl, Péter. “Academic Libraries as the Flagships of Publishing Trends in LIS: A Complex Analysis of Rankings, Citations and Topics of Research.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship 46, no. 5 (2020): 0099-1333. doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102223.
Library and Information ScienceLibrary and Information Science An interdisciplinary field that examines how physical and digital information is organized, accessed, collected, managed, disseminated and used, particularly in library settings. as a Discipline
Before jumping into the literature, it’s essential to contextualize the field of LISLibrary and Information Science An interdisciplinary field that examines how physical and digital information is organized, accessed, collected, managed, disseminated and used, particularly in library settings. as a discipline. Librarians have a long, complicated history identifying the various specialties, skills, and professional activities under one disciplinary umbrella. Library and Information Science is grounded in its origins of librarianship as a vocation, but it also grew from library science as an extension of arts and humanities principles and information science from the scope of science and technology.
The qualifying credential for librarianship in the United States reflects this complex history, with programs housed in varying educational departments. Often, programs housed in social science, business, computing and technology, education, or humanities departments identify as library science or library and information science, while others have swapped the “library” altogether for information science, information schools, or iSchools. As a result, research produced in the LIS field can be considered pluri-, multi-, trans-, meta-, or interdisciplinary.
It is beyond the scope of this lesson to provide an exhaustive and thorough history of the LIS field. However, your research agendaResearch agenda An iterative document or statement that provides a roadmap to your short and long term topics and ideas you’d like to research. and subsequent products are a reflection of your participation in the LIS discourse community. Situating yourself within this context helps you define your research questions, understand the methodologies and evidence considered valid by your peers, and identify publishing outlets and venues in the field. Additionally, it will equip you to critically evaluate other disciplinary research you encounter.
To that end, the following represents a brief introductionIntroduction The start of a research article providing background information and an overview of the research presented in the article. to disciplinary norms developed by LIS researchers:
Topic 1 References
Ȧström, Fredrik. “Formalizing a Discipline: The Institutionalization of Library and Information Science Research in the Nordic Countries.” Journal of Documentation 64, no. 5 (2008): 721:737. doi.org/10.1108/00220410810899736.
Burnett, Kathleen M., and Laurie J. Bonniici. “Contested Terrain: Accreditation and the Future of the Profession of Librarianship.” Library Quarterly 76, no. 2 (2006): 193-219. doi.org/10.1086/506462.
Simmons, Michelle H. “Librarians as Disciplinary Discourse Mediators: Using Genre Theory to Move toward Critical Information Literacy.” portal: Libraries & the Academy 5, no. 3 (2005): 297-311. doi.org/10.1353/pla.2005.0041.
Winkler, Bea, and Kiszl, Péter. “Academic Libraries as the Flagships of Publishing Trends in LIS: A Complex Analysis of Rankings, Citations and Topics of Research.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship 46, no. 5 (2020): 0099-1333. doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102223.