View source for Library and information science

{{Short description|Branch of academic disciplines}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}{{LibraryandInformation-TopicSidebar}}
'''Library and information science''' ('''LIS''')<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last1=Bates |first1=M. J. |title=Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences. Vol. 1–7 |last2=Maack |first2=M. N. |publisher=CRC Press |year=2010 |location=Boca Raton, US}}</ref><ref name=":3">Library and Information Sciences is the name used in the [[Dewey Decimal Classification]] for class 20 from the 18th edition (1971) to the 22nd edition (2003).</ref> are two interconnected disciplines that deal with information management. This includes organization, access, collection, and regulation of information, both in physical and digital forms.<ref name=":7">Coleman, A. (2002). [https://www.dlib.org/dlib/july02/coleman/07coleman.html Interdisciplinarity: The Road Ahead for Education in Digital Libraries]. D-Lib Magazine, 8:8/9 (July/August).</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Higgins |first1=Susan |chapter=Chapter 3 – Library and Information Science as a Discipline |publisher=[[Chandos Publishing]] |title=Managing Academic Libraries: Principles and Practice |date=2017 |pages=19–28 |doi=10.1016/B978-1-84334-621-0.00003-0 |isbn=978-1-84334-621-0 }}</ref>

Library science and [[information science]] are two original disciplines; however, they are within the same field of study.<ref>Saracevic, Tefko (1992). Information science: origin, evolution and relations. In: ''Conceptions of library and information science. Historical, empirical and theoretical perspectives''. Edited by Pertti Vakkari & Blaise Cronin. London: Taylor Graham (pp. 5–27).</ref><ref>Miksa, Francis L. (1992). Library and information science: two paradigms. In: ''Conceptions of library and information science. Historical, empirical and theoretical perspectives''. Edited by Pertti Vakkari & Blaise Cronin. London: Taylor Graham  (pp. 229–252).</ref> Library science is applied information science.<ref>Borko, H. (1968). Information science: What is it? American Documentation, 19(1), 3–5. {{doi|10.1002/asi.5090190103}}.</ref> Library science is both an application and a subfield of information science. Due to the strong connection, sometimes the two terms are used synonymously.

==Definition==
'''Library science''' (previously termed '''library studies''' and '''library economy'''){{NoteTag|[[Dewey Decimal Classification]] (DDC) used the term "library economy" for class 19 in its first edition from 1876. In the second edition (and all subsequent editions) it was moved to class 20. The term "library economy" was used until (and including) the 14th edition (1942). From the 15th edition (1951) class 20 was termed library science, which was used until (and including) 17th edition (1965) when it was replaced by "library and information sciences" (LIS) from the 18th edition (1971) and forward.}} is an [[interdisciplinary]] or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of [[management]], [[information technology]], [[education]], and other areas to [[library|libraries]]; the collection, organization, [[Preservation (library and archival science)|preservation]], and [[dissemination]] of information resources; and the [[political economy]] of information.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}} Martin [[Martin Schrettinger|Schrettinger]], a Bavarian [[librarian]], coined the discipline within his work (1808–1828) ''Versuch eines vollständigen Lehrbuchs der Bibliothek-Wissenschaft oder Anleitung zur vollkommenen Geschäftsführung eines Bibliothekars''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Schrettinger, Martin  |url=https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/sfz79181.html |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=Deutsche Biographie |language=de}}</ref> Rather than classifying information based on nature-oriented elements, as was previously done in his Bavarian library, Schrettinger organized books in alphabetical order.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Buckland |first=Michael |title=Bibliothekswissenschaft - quo vadis? / Library Science - quo vadis ? |date=2005-12-31 |editor-last=Hauke |editor-first=Petra |chapter=Information Schools: A Monk, Library Science, and the Information Age |chapter-url= |publisher=DE GRUYTER SAUR |pages=19–32 |doi=10.1515/9783110929225.19 |isbn=978-3-598-11734-3|url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/33g728qk }}</ref> The first American school for library science was founded by [[Melvil Dewey]] at [[Columbia University]] in 1887.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-18 |title=Dewey Services - Resources |url=https://www.oclc.org/en/dewey/resources.html |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=OCLC |language=en}}</ref>

Historically, library science has also included [[archival science]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=Elmer D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d80QAQAAMAAJ |title=History of Libraries in the Western World |last2=Harris |first2=Michael H. |date=1976 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-0949-9 |language=en}}</ref> This includes: how information resources are organized to serve the needs of selected user groups; how people interact with classification systems and technology; how information is acquired, evaluated and applied by people in and outside libraries as well as cross-culturally; how people are trained and educated for careers in libraries; the [[ethics]] that guide library service and organization; the legal status of [[libraries]] and information resources; and the applied science of computer technology used in documentation and [[records management]].

LIS should not be confused with [[information theory]], the mathematical study of the concept of information. ''Library philosophy'' has been contrasted with ''library science'' as the study of the aims and justifications of librarianship as opposed to the development and refinement of techniques.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cossette |first=André |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G8CPJ7u3xJ0C |title=Humanism and Libraries: An Essay on the Philosophy of Librarianship |date=2009 |publisher=Library Juice Press, LLC |isbn=978-1-936117-31-4 |language=en}}</ref>

== Education and training ==
{{main|Education for librarianship}}

Academic courses in library science include [[Librarian#Positions and duties|collection management]], information systems and technology, research methods, user studies, [[information literacy]], [[Library catalog|cataloging]] and [[library classification|classification]], [[Preservation (library and archive)|preservation]], [[Librarian#Positions and duties|reference]], [[statistics]] and [[management]]. Library science is constantly evolving, incorporating new topics like [[database management system|database management]], [[information architecture]] and [[information management]], among others.

With the mounting acceptance of Wikipedia as a valued and reliable reference source, many libraries, museums, and archives have introduced the role of [[Wikipedian in residence]]. As a result, some universities are including coursework relating to Wikipedia and Knowledge Management in their MLIS programs.

Becoming a library staff member does not always need a degree, and in some contexts the difference between being a library staff member and a librarian is the level of education.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Librarian |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/librarian |website=Collins Dictionary}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Librarian |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/librarian |website=Cambridge dictionary}}</ref> Most professional library jobs require a professional degree in library science or equivalent. In the United States and [[Canada]] the certification usually comes from a master's degree granted by an [[American Library Association|ALA]]-accredited institution.<ref>{{Cite web |last=admin |date=2006-07-26 |title=ALA Accredited Programs |url=https://www.ala.org/educationcareers/accreditedprograms |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=Education & Careers |language=en}}</ref> In Australia, a number of institutions offer degrees accepted by the [[Australian Library and Information Association|ALIA (Australian Library and Information Association)]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=ALIA Accredited Courses |url=https://alia.org.au/Web/Web/Careers/ALIA-Accredited-Courses.aspx |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=alia.org.au |language=en}}</ref> Global standards of accreditation or certification in librarianship have yet to be developed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Kenneth D. "Woody" |title=Librarians Need Global Credentials {{!}} Backtalk |url=https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/librarians-need-global-credentials-backtalk |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=Library Journal}}</ref>

=== United States and Canada ===
The Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) is the master's degree that is required for most professional librarian positions in the United States and Canada. The MLIS was created after the older Master of Library Science (MLS) was reformed to reflect the information science and technology needs of the field. According to the American Library Association (ALA), "ALA-accredited degrees have [had] various names such as Master of Arts, Master of Librarianship, Master of Library and Information Studies, or Master of Science.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ALA-Accredited Programs {{!}} ALA |url=https://www.ala.org/educationcareers/accreditedprograms/directory |access-date=2025-05-24 |website=www.ala.org |language=en}}</ref> The degree name is determined by the program. The [ALA] Committee for Accreditation evaluates programs based on their adherence to the Standards for Accreditation of Master's Programs in Library and Information Studies, not based on the name of the degree."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Accreditation Frequently Asked Questions {{!}} ALA |url=https://www.ala.org/educationcareers/accreditedprograms/faq |access-date=2024-05-18 |website=www.ala.org |language=en}}</ref>

==Types of librarianship==

===Public===
{{Main|Public library}}

The study of librarianship for [[Public library|public libraries]] covers issues such as cataloging; [[Library collection development|collection development]] for a diverse community; [[information literacy]]; [[readers' advisory]]; community standards; public services-focused librarianship via community-centered programming; serving a diverse community of adults, children, and teens; [[intellectual freedom]]; [[censorship]]; and legal and budgeting issues. The public library as a commons or public sphere based on the work of [[Jürgen Habermas]] has become a central metaphor in the 21st century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McCook |first=Kathleen de la Peña |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7F4PAQAAMAAJ |title=Introduction to Public Librarianship |date=2004 |publisher=Neal-Schuman Publishers |isbn=978-1-55570-475-9 |language=en}}</ref>

In the United States there are four different types of public libraries: [[Association library|association libraries]], municipal public libraries, school district libraries, and special district public libraries. Each receives funding through different sources, each is established by a different set of voters, and not all are subject to municipal civil service governance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Types of Public Libraries; a Comparison: Library Development: New York State Library |url=https://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/libs/pltypes.htm |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=www.nysl.nysed.gov}}</ref>

=== School ===
{{Main|School library}}

The study of [[School library|school librarianship]] covers library services for children in Nursery, primary through secondary school. In some regions, the local government may have stricter standards for the education and certification of [[Teacher-librarian|school librarians]] (who are sometimes considered a special case of teacher), than for other librarians, and the educational program will include those local criteria. School librarianship may also include issues of [[intellectual freedom]], [[pedagogy]], [[information literacy]], and how to build a cooperative [[curriculum]] with the teaching staff.

===Academic===
{{Main|Academic library}}

The study of [[Academic library|academic librarianship]] covers library services for colleges and universities. Issues of special importance to the field may include [[copyright]]; technology; [[digital libraries]] and digital repositories; [[academic freedom]]; [[open access]] to scholarly works; and specialized knowledge of subject areas important to the institution and the relevant [[reference work]]s. Librarians often divide focus individually as liaisons on particular schools within a college or university. Academic librarians may be [[Subject librarian|subject specific librarians]].

Some academic librarians are considered [[Faculty (division)|faculty]], and hold similar academic ranks to those of professors, while others are not. In either case, the minimal qualification is a Master of Arts in Library Studies or a Master of Arts in Library Science. Some academic libraries may only require a master's degree in a specific academic field or a related field, such as educational technology.

===Archival===
{{Main|Archive}}

The study of archives includes the training of [[archivist]]s, librarians specially trained to maintain and build [[archive]]s of [[document|records]] intended for [[historic preservation|historical preservation]]. Special issues include physical preservation, conservation, and restoration of materials and [[mass deacidification]]; specialist catalogs; solo work; access; and appraisal. Many archivists are also trained historians specializing in the period covered by the archive. There have been attempts to revive the concept of [[documentation]] and to speak of [[Library, information and documentation]] studies (or science).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rayward |first=W. Boyd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v-HgAAAAMAAJ |title=Aware and Responsible: Papers of the Nordic-International Colloquium on Social and Cultural Awareness and Responsibility in Library, Information, and Documentation Studies (SCARLID) |date=2004 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-4954-9 |language=en}}</ref>

The archival mission includes three major goals: To identify papers and records with enduring value, preserve the identified papers, and make the papers available to others.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Hunter |first=Gregory S. |url=http://archive.org/details/developingmainta0000hunt |title=Developing and maintaining practical archives : a how-to-do-it manual |date=2003 |publisher=New York : Neal-Schuman Publishers |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-1-55570-467-4}}</ref> While libraries receive items individually, archival items will usually become part of the archive's collection as a cohesive group.<ref name=":0" /> Major difference in collections is that library collections typically comprise published items (books, magazines, etc.), while archival collections are usually unpublished works (letters, diaries, etc.). Library collections are created by many individuals, as each author and illustrator create their own publication; in contrast, an archive usually collects the records of one person, family, institution, or organization, so the archival items will have fewer sources of authors.<ref name=":0" />

Behavior in an archive differs from behavior in other libraries. In most libraries, items are openly available to the public. Archival items almost never circulate, and someone interested in viewing documents must request them of the archivist and may only be able view them in a closed reading room.<ref name=":0" />

===Special===
{{Main|Special library}}

[[Special library|Special libraries]] are libraries established to meet the highly specialized requirements of professional or business groups. A library is special depending on whether it covers a specialized collection, a special subject, or a particular group of users, or even the type of parent organization, such as [[medical libraries]] or [[Law library|law libraries]].

The issues at these libraries are specific to their industries but may include solo work, corporate financing, specialized collection development, and extensive self-promotion to potential patrons. Special librarians have their own professional organization, the [[Special Libraries Association]] (SLA).

Some special libraries, such as the [[CIA Library]], may contain classified works. It is a resource to employees of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]], containing over 125,000 written materials, subscribes to around 1,700 periodicals, and had collections in three areas: Historical Intelligence, Circulating, and Reference.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CIA Library |url=https://www.cia.gov/legacy/headquarters/cia-library/ |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=CIA }}</ref> In February 1997, three librarians working at the institution spoke to ''[[Information Outlook]]'', a publication of the SLA, revealing that the library had been created in 1947, the importance of the library in disseminating information to employees, even with a small staff, and how the library organizes its materials.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=sla_io_1997 |title=Information Outlook |date=February 1997 |publisher=Special Libraries Association |via=SJSU ScholarWorks |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922223727/https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=sla_io_1997 |archive-date= Sep 22, 2021 }}</ref>

===Preservation===
{{main|Preservation (library and archival science)}}
Preservation librarians most often work in academic libraries. Their focus is on the management of preservation activities that seek to maintain access to content within books, manuscripts, archival materials, and other library resources. Examples of activities managed by preservation librarians include binding, conservation, digital and analog reformatting, [[digital preservation]], and environmental monitoring.

== History ==
[[File:ancientlibraryalex.jpg|thumb|262px| The [[Library of Alexandria]], an early [[library]]]]

Libraries have existed for many centuries but library science is a more recent phenomenon, as early libraries were managed primarily by academics.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Feather |first1=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JD0vL9QQT0sC |title=International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science |last2=Sturges |first2=Paul |date=2003-09-02 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-51320-8 |language=en}}</ref>

===17th and 18th century===
[[File:Gabriel Naude.jpg|thumbnail|Portrait of [[Gabriel Naudé]], author of ''Advis pour dresser une bibliothèque'' (1627), later translated into English in 1661]]

The earliest text on "library operations", ''Advice on Establishing a Library'' was published in 1627 by French librarian and scholar [[Gabriel Naudé]]. Naudé wrote on many subjects including politics, religion, history, and the supernatural. He put into practice all the ideas put forth in ''Advice'' when given the opportunity to build and maintain the library of [[Cardinal Mazarin|Cardinal Jules Mazarin]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Suominen |first=Vesa |date=2019-04-01 |title=Gabriel Naudé |journal=Informaatiotutkimus |volume=38 |issue=1 |doi=10.23978/inf.79889 |issn=1797-9129 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

During the [[History of libraries#Enlightenment era libraries|'golden age of libraries']] in the 17th century, publishers and sellers seeking to take advantage of the burgeoning book trade developed descriptive catalogs of their wares for distribution – a practice was adopted and further extrapolated by many libraries of the time to cover areas like philosophy, sciences, linguistics, and medicine<ref>{{Cite book |last=Murray |first=Stuart A. P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DdTawAEACAAJ |title=The Library: An Illustrated History |date=2012-03-01 |publisher=Skyhorse |isbn=978-1-61608-453-0 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1726 [[Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz]] wrote ''Idea of Arranging a Narrower Library.''<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Schulte-Albert |first=H. G. |date=1971 |title=Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Library Classification |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25540286 |journal=The Journal of Library History |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=133–152|jstor=25540286 }}</ref>

===19th century===
[[File:Dewey relatv index.png|thumb|The [[Dewey Decimal Classification]] is used as a means of organising literature by topic]]
[[Martin Schrettinger]] wrote the second textbook (the first in Germany) on the subject from 1808 to 1829.

Some of the main tools used by LIS to provide access to the resources originated in 19th century to make information accessible by recording, identifying, and providing bibliographic control of printed knowledge.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last1=Bawden |first1=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nc5qDQAAQBAJ |title=Introduction to Information Science |last2=Robinson |first2=Lyn |date=2015-06-10 |publisher=Facet Publishing |isbn=978-1-85604-810-1 |language=en}}</ref> The origin for some of these tools were even earlier. 

[[Thomas Jefferson]], whose library at [[Monticello]] consisted of thousands of books, devised a classification system inspired by the [[Baconian method]], which grouped books more or less by subject rather than alphabetically, as it was previously done.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Emblidge |first=David |date=2014 |title="Bibliomany Has Possessed Me" |url=https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/bibliomany-has-possessed-me |journal=International Journal of the Book |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=17–42 |doi=10.18848/1447-9516/CGP/v12i02/37034 |issn=1447-9516|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The Jefferson collection provided the start of what became the [[Library of Congress]].

The first American school of librarianship opened in New York under the leadership of [[Melvil Dewey]], noted for his [[Dewey Decimal Classification|1876 decimal classification]], on January 5, 1887, as the [[Columbia College School of Library Economy]]. The term ''library economy'' was common in the U.S. until 1942, with the term, ''library science,'' predominant through much of the 20th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Richardson |first=John |title=Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science |publisher=CRC Press |year=2010 |editor-last=Maack |editor-first=Mary Niles |edition=3rd |location=New York |pages=3440–3448 |language=en |chapter=History of American Library Science: Its Origins and Early Development. |editor-last2=Bates |editor-first2=Marcia}}</ref>

===20th century===
In the English-speaking world the term "library science" seems to have been used for the first time in India<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-01-18 |title=World Libraries: The Pioneers: Asa Don Dickinson |url=http://cybra.p.lodz.pl/Content/1175/vol01no2/anwar_v01n2.html |access-date=2023-09-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118162607/http://cybra.p.lodz.pl/Content/1175/vol01no2/anwar_v01n2.html |archive-date=January 18, 2015 }}</ref> in the 1916 book ''Punjab Library Primer'', written by Asa Don Dickinson and published by the [[University of Punjab]], Lahore, Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dickinson |first=Asa Don |url=http://archive.org/details/punjablibrarypri00dickuoft |title=The Punjab library primer |date=1916 |publisher=Lahore : University of the Panjab |others=Robarts - University of Toronto}}</ref> This university was the first in Asia to begin teaching "library science". The ''Punjab Library Primer'' was the first textbook on library science published in English anywhere in the world. The first textbook in the United States was the ''Manual of Library Economy'' by [[James Duff Brown]], published in 1903.

Later, the term was used in the title of [[S. R. Ranganathan]]'s ''The Five Laws of Library Science'', published in 1931, which contains Ranganathan's [[Five laws of library science|titular theory]]. Ranganathan is also credited with the development of the first major analytical-synthetic classification system, the [[colon classification]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ranganathan |first=S. R. |title=Colon Classification. Revised and expanded by M.A. Gopinath |year=1987 |edition=7th}}</ref>

In the United States, Lee Pierce Butler published his 1933 book ''An Introduction to Library Science'' (University of Chicago Press), where he advocated for research using [[quantitative research|quantitative methods]] and ideas in the [[social sciences]] with the aim of using librarianship to address society's information needs. He was one of the first faculty at the [[University of Chicago Graduate Library School]], which changed the structure and focus of education for librarianship in the twentieth century. This research agenda went against the more procedure-based approach of the "library economy", which was mostly confined to practical problems in the administration of libraries.

In 1923, [[Charles C. Williamson]], who was appointed by the Carnegie Corporation, published an assessment of library science education entitled "The Williamson Report", which designated that universities should provide library science training.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last1=Rubin |first1=Richard E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xsXGEAAAQBAJ |title=Foundations of Library and Information Science |last2=Rubin |first2=Rachel G. |date=2020-09-14 |publisher=American Library Association |isbn=978-0-8389-4757-9 |language=en}}</ref> This report had a significant impact on library science training and education. Library research and practical work, in the area of information science, have remained largely distinct both in training and in research interests.

[[William Stetson Merrill]]'s ''A Code for Classifiers'', released in several editions from 1914 to 1939,<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Merrill |first1=William Stetson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9sCdQ9JBxQQC |title=Code for Classifiers: Principles Governing the Consistent Placing of Books in a System of Classification |last2=Association |first2=American Library |date=1939 |publisher=American library association |isbn=978-0-8389-0027-7 |language=en}}</ref> is an example of a more pragmatic approach, where arguments stemming from in-depth knowledge about each field of study are employed to recommend a system of classification. While Ranganathan's approach was philosophical, it was also tied more to the day-to-day business of running a library. A reworking of Ranganathan's laws was published in 1995 which removes the constant references to books. [[Michael Gorman (librarian)|Michael Gorman]]'s ''Our Enduring Values: Librarianship in the 21st Century'' features the eight principles necessary by library professionals and incorporates knowledge and information in all their forms, allowing for digital information to be considered.

====From library science to LIS====
By the late 1960s, mainly due to the meteoric rise of human computing power and the new academic disciplines formed therefrom, academic institutions began to add the term "information science" to their names. The first school to do this was at the [[University of Pittsburgh]] in 1964.<ref>{{Cite book |url= |date=2019-07-17 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-315-11614-3 |editor-last=Levine-Clark |editor2=John D. McDonald |editor-first=Michael |edition=4 |location=Boca Raton |doi=10.1081/E-ELIS4 |title=Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science}}</ref> More schools followed during the 1970s and 1980s. By the 1990s almost all library schools in the US had added information science to their names. Although there are exceptions, similar developments have taken place in other parts of the world. In [[India]], the Department of Library Science, [[University of Madras]] (southern state of [[Tamil Nadu|TamiilNadu]], India) became the Department of Library and Information Science in 1976. In [[Denmark]], for example, the "Royal School of Librarianship" changed its English name to [[The Royal School of Library and Information Science]] in 1997.

===21st century===
The [[digital age]] has transformed how information is accessed and [[information retrieval|retrieved]]. "The library is now a part of a complex and dynamic educational, recreational, and informational infrastructure."<ref name=":6" /> [[Mobile device]]s and applications with [[wireless networking]], high-speed computers and networks, and the [[computing cloud]] have deeply impacted and developed information science and information services. The evolution of the library sciences maintains its mission of access equity and community space, as well as the new means for information retrieval called information literacy skills. All catalogs, [[online database|databases]], and a growing number of books are available on the [[Internet]]. In addition, the expanding free access to [[open access]] journals and sources such as [[Wikipedia]] has fundamentally impacted how information is accessed.

[[Information literacy]] is the ability to "determine the extent of information needed, access the needed information effectively and efficiently, evaluate information and its sources critically, incorporate selected information into one's knowledge base, use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose, and understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally."<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2000-01-01 |title=Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education |url=https://alair.ala.org/handle/11213/7668 |journal=American Library Association |language=en-US}}</ref> {{Vague|text=In recent years,|date=May 2025}} the concept of [[data literacy]] has emerged within library and information science as a complement to information literacy to refer to the ability to find, interpret, evaluate, manage, and ethically use data to support research, learning, and informed decision-making.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lund |first1=Brady |last2=Agbaji |first2=Daniel |last3=Teel |first3=Zoë A. |date=2023-11-03 |title=Information literacy, data literacy, privacy literacy, and ChatGPT: Technology literacies align with perspectives on emerging technology adoption within communities |url=https://ht.csr-pub.eu/index.php/ht/article/view/339 |journal=Human Technology |language=en |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=163–177 |doi=10.14254/1795-6889.2023.19-2.2 |issn=1795-6889|doi-access=free }}</ref>

In the early 2000s, dLIST, Digital Library for Information Sciences and Technology was established. It was the first [[open access]] archive for the multidisciplinary 'library and information sciences' building a global scholarly communication consortium and the LIS Commons in order to increase the visibility of research literature, bridge the divide between practice, teaching, and research communities, and improve visibility, uncitedness, and integrate scholarly work in the critical information infrastructures of archives, libraries, and museums.<ref>Coleman, A and Bracke, P. (2003). DLIST: Building An International Scholarly Communication Consortium   for Library and Information Science. In Murthy, T.A.V. (Editor-in-chief) ''Mapping Technology on Libraries and People'', Proceedings of the 10th National Convention for Automation of Libraries in Education and Research Institutes, INFLIBNET, 13–15 February 2003, Ahmedabad, India. https://repository.arizona.edu/bitstream/handle/10150/105826/6.htm?sequence=14&isAllowed=y</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kraft |first1=Donald |last2=Rasmussen |first2=Edie |last3=Hastings |first3=Samantha |last4=Coleman |first4=Anita |date=January 2006 |title=Competing information realities: Digital libraries, repositories, and the commons |url=https://asistdl.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/meet.14504301134 |journal=Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology |language=en |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=1–8 |doi=10.1002/meet.14504301134 |issn=0044-7870 |via=ASIST Digital Library|hdl=10150/105213 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>Coleman, A, Bracke, P, and Karthik, S. (2004). Integration of Non-OAI Resources for Federated Searching in dLIST, an ePrints Repository. dLIST Magazine 10 (7/8), July/August. https://www.dlib.org/dlib/july04/coleman/07coleman.html</ref><ref>[https://www.dlib.org/dlib/december05/coleman/12coleman.html Coleman, A and Roback, J. (2005). Open Access Federation for Library and Information Science: dLIST and DL-Harvest. D-Lib Magazine 11 (12). December https://www.dlib.org/dlib/december05/coleman/12coleman.html]</ref>

[[Social justice]], an important ethical value in librarianship and in the 21st century has become an important research area, if not subdiscipline of LIS.<ref>Mehra, B., Rioux, K., and Albright, K. S. (2010). Social Justice in Library and Information Science. In M. J. Bates and M. N. Maack (eds.), Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences (pp. 4820-4836). New York: Taylor & Francis Group.</ref>

==Journals==
{{seealso|List of Library and Information Science Journals|:Category:Library science journals|Journal Citation Reports}}

Some core journals in LIS are:
* ''[[Annual Review of Information Science and Technology]]'' (ARIST) (1966–2011)
* ''{{ill|El Profesional de la Información|es}}'' (EPI) (1992–) (Formerly Information World en Español)
* ''[[Information Processing and Management]]''
* ''[[Information Research: An International Electronic Journal]]'' (IR) (1995–)
* ''[[Italian Journal of Library and Information Studies]]'' (JLIS.it)
* ''[[Journal of Documentation]]'' (JDoc) (1945–)
* ''[[Journal of Information Science]]'' (JIS) (1979–)
* ''[[Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology]]'' (formerly ''[[Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology]]'') (JASIST) (1950–)
* ''[[Knowledge Organization (journal)|Knowledge Organization]]''
* ''Library Literature and Information Science Retrospective''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ebsco.com/products/digital-archives/retrospective-indexes/library-literature-information-science-retrospective|title=Library Literature & Information Science Retrospective: 1905–1983 &#124; EBSCO|access-date=April 1, 2023|archive-date=April 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401112702/https://www.ebsco.com/products/digital-archives/retrospective-indexes/library-literature-information-science-retrospective|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''[[Library Trends]]'' (1952–)
* ''[[Scientometrics (journal)]]'' (1978–)
* ''[[The Library Quarterly]]''  (LQ) (1931–)
* ''[[Grandhalaya Sarvaswam]]'' (1915–)

Important bibliographical databases in LIS are, among others, [[Social Sciences Citation Index]] and [[Library and Information Science Abstracts]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://journals.sagepub.com/home/lis|title=Journal of Librarianship and Information Science|website=SAGE Journals|access-date=April 1, 2023|archive-date=April 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401112659/https://journals.sagepub.com/home/lis|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Conferences==
This is a list of some of the major conferences in the field.
* Annual meetings of the [[American Library Association]].
* Annual meeting of the [[American Society for Information Science and Technology]]
* Annual meeting of the [[Association for Library and Information Science Education]]
* [[Conceptions of Library and Information Science]]
* [[i-School]]s' iConferences
* The [[International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions]] (IFLA): World Library and Information Congress<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://conference.ifla.org/|title=World Library and Information Congress – IFLA General Conference and Assembly|date=July 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706164140/http://conference.ifla.org/|archive-date=2015-07-06}}</ref>
* [[African Library and Information Associations and Institutions]] (AfLIA) Conference<ref>{{Cite web |title=Conferences |url=https://web.aflia.net/conferences/ |access-date=2022-06-14 |website=African Library & Information Associations & Institutions |language=en-US |archive-date=April 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401112700/https://web.aflia.net/conferences/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Subfields==
{{Information science}}
Information science grew out of [[documentation science]]<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kunz |first1=Werner |last2=Rittel |first2=Horst W. J. |date=1972-04-01 |title=Information science: On the structure of its problems |url= |journal=Information Storage and Retrieval |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=95–98 |doi=10.1016/0020-0271(72)90011-3 |issn=0020-0271}}</ref> and therefore has a tradition for considering scientific and scholarly communication, [[bibliographic database]]s, subject knowledge and terminology etc.

An advertisement for a full Professor in information science at the Royal School of Library and Information Science, spring 2011, provides one view of which sub-disciplines are well-established:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.job-i-staten.dk/SearchResults/position-as-full-professor-in-information-science-lja-3723916.aspx?jobId%3DLJA-3723916%26list%3DSearchResultsJobsIds%26index%3D6%26querydesc%3DSearchJobQueryDescription%26viewedfrom%3D1 |title=Jobnet forside |access-date=2011-11-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425131559/http://www.job-i-staten.dk/SearchResults/position-as-full-professor-in-information-science-lja-3723916.aspx?jobId=LJA-3723916&list=SearchResultsJobsIds&index=6&querydesc=SearchJobQueryDescription&viewedfrom=1 |archive-date=2012-04-25 }}</ref> "The research and teaching/supervision must be within some (and at least one) of these well-established information science areas{{ordered list | list-style-type = lower-alpha
| [[Knowledge organization]]
| [[Library studies]]
| [[Information architecture]]
| [[Information behavior]]
| Interactive [[information retrieval]]
| [[Information systems]]
| [[Scholarly communication]]
| [[Digital literacy]] (cf [[information literacy]])
| [[Bibliometrics]] or [[scientometrics]]
| [[Interaction design]] and [[user experience]]"
| [[Digital library]]
}}
A curriculum study by Kajberg & Lørring in 2005<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Leif |first1=Kajberg |last2=Leif |first2=Lørring |date=2005-01-01 |title=European Curriculum Reflections on Library and Information Science Education. |url=http://library.upt.ro/LIS_Bologna.pdf |website=The Royal School of Library and Information Science |access-date=April 1, 2023 |archive-date=April 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425132736/http://library.upt.ro/LIS_Bologna.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> reported a "degree of overlap of the ten curricular themes with subject areas in the current curricula of responding LIS schools".
* [[Information seeking]] and [[Information retrieval]] 100%
* [[Library management]] and promotion 96%
* [[Knowledge management]] 86%
* [[Knowledge organization]] 82%
* [[Information literacy]] and learning 76%
* Library and society in a historical perspective ([[Library history]]) 66%
*  The [[Information society]]: Barriers to the [[free access to information]] 64%
* [[Cultural heritage]] and digitisation of the cultural heritage ([[Digital preservation]]) 62%
* The library in the multi-cultural information society: International and intercultural communication 42%
* Mediation of culture in a special European context 26% "

There is often an overlap between these subfields of LIS and other fields of study. Most information retrieval research, for example, belongs to computer science. Knowledge management is considered a subfield of management or organizational studies.<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Clegg|editor1-first=Stewart|editor2-last=Bailey|editor2-first=James R.|title=International Encyclopedia of Organizational Studies|date=2008|publisher=Sage Publications Inc.|location=Los Angeles|isbn=978-1412953900|pages=758–762}}</ref>

=== Metadata ===
{{Main|Metadata}}

Pre-Internet classification systems and [[cataloging]] systems were mainly concerned with two objectives:

# To provide rich bibliographic descriptions and relations between information objects, and
# To facilitate sharing of this bibliographic information across library boundaries.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last1=Zeng |first1=Marcia Lei |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g2QUrgEACAAJ |title=Metadata |last2=Qin |first2=Jian |date=2016 |publisher=Facet Publishing |isbn=978-1-78330-052-5 |language=en}}</ref>

The development of the Internet and the information explosion that followed found many communities needing mechanisms for the description, authentication and management of their information.<ref name=":5" /> These communities developed taxonomies and [[Controlled vocabulary|controlled vocabularies]] to describe their knowledge, as well as unique information architectures to communicate these classifications and libraries found themselves as liaison or translator between these metadata systems.<ref name=":5" /> The concerns of cataloging in the Internet era have gone beyond simple bibliographic descriptions and the need for descriptive information about the ownership and copyright of a digital product – a publishing concern – and description for the different formats and accessibility features of a resource – a sociological concern – show the continued development and cross discipline necessity of resource description.<ref name=":5" />

In the 21st century, the usage of [[open data]], [[open source]] and [[open protocol]]s like [[OAI-PMH]] has allowed thousands of libraries and institutions to collaborate on the production of global metadata services previously offered only by increasingly expensive commercial proprietary products. Tools like [[BASE (search engine)|BASE]] and [[Unpaywall]] automate the search of an [[academic paper]] across thousands of repositories by libraries and research institutions.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chawla |first1=Dalmeet Singh |year=2017 |title=Unpaywall finds free versions of paywalled papers |url=http://www.nature.com/news/unpaywall-finds-free-versions-of-paywalled-papers-1.21765 |url-status=live |journal=Nature News |doi=10.1038/nature.2017.21765 |s2cid=86694031 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111220503/https://www.nature.com/news/unpaywall-finds-free-versions-of-paywalled-papers-1.21765 |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |access-date=April 1, 2023|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

=== Knowledge organization ===
{{Main|Knowledge organization}}

Library science is very closely related to issues of knowledge organization; however, the latter is a broader term that covers how knowledge is represented and stored (computer science/linguistics), how it might be automatically processed (artificial intelligence), and how it is organized outside the library in global systems such as the internet. In addition, library science typically refers to a specific community engaged in managing holdings as they are found in university and government libraries, while knowledge organization, in general, refers to this and also to other communities (such as publishers) and other systems (such as the Internet). The library system is thus one socio-technical structure for knowledge organization.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

The terms 'information organization' and 'knowledge organization' are often used synonymously.<ref name=":4" />{{rp|106}} The fundamentals of their study - particularly theory relating to indexing and classification - and many of the main tools used by the disciplines in modern times to provide access to digital resources such as abstracting, metadata, resource description, systematic and alphabetic subject description, and terminology, originated in the 19th century and were developed, in part, to assist in making humanity's intellectual output accessible by recording, identifying, and providing bibliographic control of printed knowledge.<ref name=":4" />{{rp|105}}

Information has been published that analyses the relations between the philosophy of information (PI), library and information science (LIS), and social epistemology (SE).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Floridi |first=Luciano |date=2002-01-01 |title=On defining library and information science as applied philosophy of information |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02691720210132789 |journal=Social Epistemology |language=en |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=37–49 |doi=10.1080/02691720210132789 |s2cid=12243183 |issn=0269-1728}}</ref>

=== Ethics ===
Practicing library professionals and members of the [[American Library Association]] recognize and abide by the ALA Code of Ethics. According to the American Library Association, "In a political system grounded in an informed citizenry, we are members of a profession explicitly committed to intellectual freedom and freedom of access to information. We have a special obligation to ensure the free flow of information and ideas to present and future generations."<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |last=American Library Association |date=May 19, 2017 |title=Professional Ethics |url=https://www.ala.org/tools/ethics |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029031601/https://www.ala.org/tools/ethics |archive-date=October 29, 2021 |access-date=October 29, 2021 |website=Tools, Publications & Resources |language=en}}</ref> The ALA Code of Ethics was adopted in the winter of 1939, and updated on June 29, 2021.<ref name="auto" />

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* {{annotated link|Authority control}}
* {{annotated link|Bibliography}}
* {{annotated link|Digital Asset Management}} (DAM)
* {{annotated link|Diversity in librarianship}}
* {{annotated link|Glossary of library and information science}}
* {{annotated link|Information history}}
* {{annotated link|Internet search engines and libraries}}
* {{annotated link|List of library and information science journals}}
* {{annotated link|Libraries and the LGBTQ community}}
* {{annotated link|Library portal}}
* {{annotated link|List of library associations}}
* {{annotated link|Museology}}
* {{annotated link|Museum informatics}}
* {{annotated link|Outline of library science}}
* {{annotated link|Subject indexing}}
* {{annotated link|Timeline of women in library science}}
{{div col end}}

== Notes ==
{{NoteFoot}}
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Infobox library classification|DDC=020}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Åström |first1=Fredrik |title=Formalizing a discipline: The institutionalization of library and information science research in the Nordic countries |journal=[[Journal of Documentation]] |date=2008-09-05 |volume=64 |issue=5 |pages=721–737 |doi=10.1108/00220410810899736 }}
* {{cite book|isbn=978-1555708610|title=Introduction to Information Science|last1=Bawden|first1=David|last2=Robinson|first2=Lyn|date=20 August 2012|publisher=American Library Association }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Hjørland |first1=Birger |title=Library and information science: practice, theory, and philosophical basis |journal=[[Information Processing and Management|Information Processing & Management]] |date=2000 |volume=36 |issue=3 |pages=501–531 |doi=10.1016/S0306-4573(99)00038-2}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Järvelin |first1=Kalervo |last2=Vakkari |first2=Pertti |title=The evolution of library and information science 1965–1985: A content analysis of journal articles |journal=[[Information Processing and Management|Information Processing & Management]] |date=January 1993 |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=129–144 |doi=10.1016/0306-4573(93)90028-C }}
* {{cite journal |last1=McNicol |first1=Sarah |title=LIS: the interdisciplinary research landscape |journal=[[Journal of Librarianship and Information Science]] |date=March 2003 |volume=35 |issue=1 |pages=23–30 |doi=10.1177/096100060303500103 |s2cid=220912521 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Dick |first1=Archie L. |title=Library and Information Science as a Social Science: Neutral and Normative Conceptions |journal=[[The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy]] |date=1995 |volume=65 |issue=2 |pages=216–235 |doi=10.1086/602777 |jstor=4309022 |s2cid=142825177 }}
* [https://lhrt.news/foundational-books-in-library-services/ Foundational Books in Library Services.1976-2024.] ''LHRT News & Notes.'' October, 2024.
* [http://ceserpublications.com/index.php/IJLS International Journal of Library Science] ({{ISSN|0975-7546}})
* Lafontaine, Gerard S. (1958). ''Dictionary of Terms Used in the Paper, Printing, and Allied Industries''. Toronto: H. Smith Paper Mills. 110 p.
* ''The Oxford Guide to Library Research'' (2005) – {{ISBN|0195189981}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Taşkın |first1=Zehra |title=Forecasting the future of library and information science and its sub-fields |journal=[[Scientometrics (journal)|Scientometrics]] |date=2021 |volume=126 |issue=2 |pages=1527–1551 |doi=10.1007/s11192-020-03800-2 |doi-access=free|pmid=33353991 |pmc=7745590 }}
* Thompson, Elizabeth H. (1943). ''A.L.A. Glossary of Library Terms, with a Selection of Terms in Related Fields'', prepared under the direction of the Committee on Library Terminology of the American Library Association. Chicago, Ill.: American Library Association. viii, 189 p.  {{ISBN|978-0838900000}}
* V-LIB 1.2 (2008 Vartavan Library Classification, over 700 fields of sciences & arts classified according to a relational philosophy, currently sold under license in the UK by Rosecastle Ltd. (see [http://rosecastle.atspace.com/index_files/Page382.htm Vartavan-Frame])

==External links==
{{Library resources box}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Library and information science}}
* [http://www.lisnews.org LISNews.org] – librarian and information science news
* [http://www.liswire.com LISWire.com] – librarian and information science wire

{{Libraries and library science}}{{Historiography}}{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Library and information science| ]]

[[hu:Könyvtár- és információtudomány]]
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