Analysis of the interdisciplinary nature of library and information science

Abstract

Library and information science (LIS) is highly interdisciplinary by nature and is affected by the incessant evolution of technologies. A recent study surveying research trends in the years 2002—6 at various information science departments worldwide has found that a clear trend was identified in Masters theses and doctoral dissertations of social aspects of information moving into the spotlight. The study found that only a third of the research that was tagged on the ProQuest Digital Dissertations database under either or both ‘Library Science’ and ‘Information Science’ was actually conducted at LIS departments. The current study aims to examine the remaining two thirds of these papers, conducted in non-LIS departments. This will contribute toward our understanding of the field and its future development. The research findings indicate that there is a relatively clear division of research topics between the studies conducted in various information studies departments and those conducted in other departments that study information. The main difference found is the opposite foci of LIS and non-LIS studies. While LIS scholars focus on the information user, other fields, headed by business administration, computer science, education and communication, focus on the system, on information technology, the information industry and the management of information.