Librarianship And Information Science Research Articles

The intelligence professional: A new career profile in Librarianship and Information Science studies? Analysis of LIS study plans in Spain

Librarianship and Information Science (LIS) studies have undergone a decline in many countries that is visible in various ways, among which are the disappearance of these degree courses in different universities around the world. These studies need to seek new scenarios to avoid becoming obsolete in a world in which information is undergoing constant change. The profile of the Head of Intelligence in general, and of the Intelligence Analyst in particular, can serve to develop new areas of study and research, and new professional careers. This work analyses the training of Intelligence professionals, the organisms related to that field, and the role those professionals play in the Intelligence Cycle in Spain. The main objective of this study was to determine whether the subjects taught in the LIS Degree courses offered in Spanish universities make it possible to highlight a profile that has never as yet been recognized as a career opportunity within these studies – that of the figure of the Intelligence Professional in general, and of the Intelligence Analyst in particular. An exhaustive and detailed content analysis was carried out of the teaching plans of all the subjects in the curricula of the eleven LIS Degree courses taught in Spain during the 2019/2020 academic year in terms of their adaptation to the phases of the Intelligence Cycle. There was found to exist an important set of subjects related to that cycle, which have the possibility of giving rise to a new professional profile in the LIS field: the Intelligence Professional.

Algumas consequências da abordagem evolutiva para o campo de estudos do comportamento informacional

Este artigo tem como objetico examinar a abordagem evolutiva do comportamento informacional e refletir acerca de algumas consequências trazidas por esta abordagem para as bases epistemológicas da biblioteconomia e ciência da informação (BCI) nos trabalhos de Amanda Spink e Armando Malheiro da Silva. Incorpora uma crítica de modelos de busca de conhecimento como o de Nicholas Belkin, por causa de seu resíduo tecnicista. Metodologia: Pesquisa bibliográfica e posterior análise das fontes recuperadas. Análise realizada através do exame argumentativo e conceitual de textos considerados referenciais para cada parte do argumento. Resultados: Ressalta a distinção entre interpretações divergentes do termo “evolução”. Reconhece a exigência inevitável de uma atitude holística ou interdisciplinar para a compreensão do comportamento informacional. Destaca a valorização dos comportamentos humanos de caráter informal e lúdico em relação à informação.

Representación de áreas temáticas en las revistas latinoamericanas de Bibliotecología y Ciencia de la información en español (2008-2016)

Introduction: Research journals form the core of the field of knowledge of a scientific discipline. In the case of profession-oriented disciplines, some “not-as-scientific-as-others” journals also define this core. Objectives: To Describe thematic profiles by journal and country from the analysis of articles of Latin American Librarianship and Information Science (LIS) journals in Spanish language (2008-2016), and to detect local trends and identify areas of vacancy. Methodology: Through a basic quantitative analysis, Latin American LIS Journals are characterized for the period indicated. A database with the articles of the publications identified is made. Results: A total of 28 journal titles and 2388 articles have been collected. Disparity between countries is identified in the quantities of titles and articles. No significant thematic trends are identified by subregion.

Terminografijos plėtros kryptys Lietuvos nacionalinėje Martyno Mažvydo bibliotekoje

    The article summarizes the practice of managing and standardizing librarianship and information science (LIS) terminology at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania. It was necessary to highlight the most important lexicography trends in preparing the Dictionary of Librarianship and Bibliography Terms (1990–1999) and the Lithuanian–English Dictionary of Librarianship, Information and Book Science Terms (2019) as well as sources related to standartization of international terminology. The priorities of the activities and the results to be achieved were determined by taking into account the development of the Lithuanian Language Digital Resources Information System and the terminological activity traditions of national libraries all over the world.

UK Library and Information Science Research is Having a Significant Influence on Research in Other Subject Disciplines

Objective – To quantify the value of librarianship and information science (LIS) exports knowledge to other subject disciplines.
 
 Design – Bibliometric study.
 
 Setting – LIS departments in U.K. universities.
 
 Subjects – 232 LIS research articles published between 2001 and 2007. 
 
 Methods – Data from the 2008 U.K. Research Assessment Exercise were checked to identify 405 research articles submitted by 10 selected university departments (out of a total of 21), which submitted research in the LIS category. The Web of Science database was then searched to see how many of these articles had been cited in other articles (n=232). If the citing article was published in a non-LIS journal it was considered a knowledge export. Journals were defined as non-LIS if they had not been assigned the subject category of Information Science & Library Science by the Journal of Citation Reports. The journal Impact Factors (IFs) of citing journals were then normalized to measure the value of individual knowledge exports to their respective subject disciplines. This was done by comparing a citing journal’s IF with the median journal IF within that subject category. If the citing journal’s IF was above this median it was considered to be a valuable knowledge export.
 
 Main Results – The sample of LIS research articles produced a total of 1,061 knowledge exports in 444 unique non-LIS journals. These non-LIS journals covered 146 unique subject categories of which those related to computer science and chemistry/pharmacology cited LIS research with the greatest frequency. Just over three-quarters (n=798) of these citations were considered to be valuable knowledge exports. A sub-analysis showed that LIS articles published in non-LIS journals were significantly more valuable than the knowledge exports published in LIS journals.
 
 Conclusion – The validity of bibliometric studies can be improved by adopting the two methodological innovations presented in this study. The first innovation is to avoid over-estimating the number of knowledge exports by discounting “part exports” (i.e., where the citing journal is assigned to multiple subject categories, one of which includes the same as that of the cited reference). The second innovation introduced by this study is to add an extra dimension to the analysis by measuring the value of each knowledge export by taking into account the “normalized” impact factor of citing journals.

Quantifying the value of knowledge exports from librarianship and information science research

Import–export studies use citation data to describe the exchange of knowledge and ideas between different disciplines. This paper reports the use of journal impact factors (IF) to quantify the extent to which an individual discipline, specifically librarianship and information science (LIS), is able to export knowledge to other disciplines. Web of Science searches were used to identify citations to 232 high quality LIS publications extracted from submissions to the UK’s 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. These publications resulted in 1061 knowledge exports to 444 unique, non-LIS citing journals, for which IFs were taken from the Journal Citation Reports database and normalised in order to minimise inter-disciplinary differences in citation behaviour. Non-LIS citing journals are shown to have IFs that are above the average for their subject categories, with this pattern of behaviour being considerably more pronounced for citations to LIS research published in non-LIS, rather than LIS, journals.

Information science courses and the graduate job context in Spain

This paper supports the appropriateness of the objectives of the Librarianship and Information Science (LIS) graduate university studies system in Spain. It identifies formulas to allow the construction of innovative study plans which are attractive

Assessing information professionals in Dominican Republic: Are they prepared to deal with the new democratic libraries?

Current information policies in Dominican Republic include the creation and development of libraries and information systems in a more effective way than ever in the country. One of the biggest concerns regarding these new democratic and modern libraries is to analyze whether the Dominican Republic has information professionals competent enough to deal with this new information system. This paper describes a thorough study of the Librarianship and Information Science (LIS) education in the country, as a first step to find out the needs and requirements for innovation in LIS education. Some of the topics analyzed are degrees and programs (in public and private universities), number of librarians and information professionals at graduate level, continuing education, a comparative overview with Latin American and Caribbean countries and conclusions. This article will show some of the results from a series of studies intended to enhance libraries and information infrastructure in Dominican Republic.

Assessing information professionals in Dominican Republic: Are they prepared to deal with the new democratic libraries?

Current information policies in Dominican Republic include the creation and development of libraries and information systems in a more effective way than ever in the country. One of the biggest concerns regarding these new democratic and modern libraries is to analyze whether the Dominican Republic has information professionals competent enough to deal with this new information system. This paper describes a thorough study of the Librarianship and Information Science (LIS) education in the country, as a first step to find out the needs and requirements for innovation in LIS education. Some of the topics analyzed are degrees and programs (in public and private universities), number of librarians and information professionals at graduate level, continuing education, a comparative overview with Latin American and Caribbean countries and conclusions. This article will show some of the results from a series of studies intended to enhance libraries and information infrastructure in Dominican Republic.

Funding for postgraduate studies in librarianship and information science in the UK since 1990: An overview

Potential applicants for postgraduate courses in librarianship and information science (LIS) have always had to consider how they would finance their studies. This paper examines how the funding axis for such courses has changed and how applicants from the UK are now looking to employers to fund courses rather than seeking support from national award making bodies such as the Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB). The historical context of such a shift is investigated; the current nature of AHRB provision is evaluated; the pattern and cost of postgraduate courses in LIS is outlined; and the paper closes with an analysis of a sample of distance learners at the Department of Information Studies, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, concentrating in particular on any financial support received.

Toward library and information science education in the European Union

PurposeThe paper seeks to present an analysis of the development of schools of librarianship and information science (LIS) in the European Union (EU) applicant states until 2004. It discusses the potential and actual changes in their organisation, notably their curriculum.Design/methodology/approachThe comparative analysis of LIS programmes was performed. The model presented by T.D. Wilson in 2001 was selected as the model for analysing the data. The aim was to support the Wilson model with some empirical data from the specific countries.FindingsThe results show that the long history of traditional library education in these schools was not a great obstacle to adapting the curriculum to new professional and political standards. LIS schools have generally changed their curriculum towards those of modern LIS schools and have also embraced the EU outlines regarding higher education, especially the Bologna Declaration.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has its limitations as it is based only on the formal courses’ names and the formal content. Comparative analysis could also be accomplished through analysing courses' content, students and teaching staff.Originality/valueThe theoretical model of LIS courses analysis was tested on the LIS programmes in EU new member and applicant states. Testing the model shows its weaknesses and strengths. This could be developed in a simple but practical and useful tool for LIS programmes comparison and harmonisation, where necessary.

A Study of Israeli Library and Information Science Students' Perceptions of Their Profession

As the librarian's traditional roles undergo significant changes reflecting the transition from the world of print to the digital world, we focus on Israeli LIS (Librarianship and Information Science) students' responses to these changes. Our study examined the attitudes and perceptions of 180 Israeli students regarding the relationship between librarianship and information science as professions, the roles of librarians and information scientists, potential places of employment for librarians and information scientists, comparative status and prestige of librarians and information scientists and finally, students own individual career preferences. Although most students believed that both professions are related, they attributed higher status and prestige to information science. Information science was also perceived as more highly associated with computer technologies. In general, students aspired to be information scientists. As future representatives of their professions in both private and public work settings, their attitudes and preferences will undoubtedly affect the nature of the profession. The present study is significant in a period of transition as schools of librarianship and information science modify their curricula and cope with the technological innovations impacting the traditional nature of librarianship.

Trends, Trend Projections, and Crystal Ball Gazing

The KALIPER study revealed six general trends denoting change in the professional education for librarianship and information science (LIS). This article explores those changes in light of the framework set down by Nancy Van House and Stuart Sutton in The Panda Syndrome: An Ecology of LIS Education.

Webometric analysis of departments of librarianship and information science

This paper describes a webometric analysis of the linkages (or ‘sitations’) to websites associated with departments of librarianship and information science (LIS). Some of the observed sitation counts appear counter-intuitive and there is only a very limited correlation with peer evaluations of research performance, with many of the sitations being from pages that are far removed in subject matter from LIS. Our conclusions are that sitation data are not well suited to the quantitative evaluation of the research status of LIS departments and that departments can best boost their web visibility by hosting as wide a range of types of material as possible.

Webometric analysis of departments of librarianship and information science

This paper describes a webometric analysis of the linkages (or ‘sitations’) to websites associated with departments of librarianship and information science (LIS). Some of the observed sitation counts appear counter-intuitive and there is only a very limited correlation with peer evaluations of research performance, with many of the sitations being from pages that are far removed in subject matter from LIS. Our conclusions are that sitation data are not well suited to the quantitative evaluation of the research status of LIS departments and that departments can best boost their web visibility by hosting as wide a range of types of material as possible.

Problems in the management of university education in the field of librarianship and information science in Romania

Describes the re‐establishment of a department of librarianship and information science at Bucharest University, Romania. Discusses some of the problems and dilemmas encountered and gives details of the curriculum and courses taught. Ends by assessing what has been achieved and outlining aims for the future.