Portal:Library and information science 

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The Library and Information Science Portal

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Introduction

Library science and information science are two closely-related and often intersecting disciplines that deal primarily with the organization and retrieval of information.

Library science is an interdisciplinary social science incorporating the humanities, law and applied science and studying topics related to libraries; the collection, organization and dissemination of information resources; and the political economy of information. Library science has also historically included archival science, although a conceptual distinction between libraries and archives has evolved over time.

Amongst the varied topics of study that fall within library science: how information resources are organized to serve the needs of select user groups; how people interact with classification systems and technology; how information is acquired, evaluated and applied by people in and outside of 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. Library science is constantly evolving, incorporating new topics like database management, information architecture and knowledge management.

Information science (also referred to as information studies) is an interdisciplinary science primarily concerned with the collection, classification, manipulation, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information. Information science studies the application and usage of knowledge in organizations, and the interaction between people, organizations and information systems. It is often, though not exclusively, studied as a branch of computer science or informatics and is closely related to the cognitive and social sciences.

...More about library science More about information science...
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Selected article

An information society is a society in which the creation, distribution, diffusion, use, and manipulation of information is a significant economic, political, and cultural activity. The knowledge economy is its economic counterpart whereby wealth is created through the economic exploitation of understanding.

Specific to this kind of society is the central position information technology has for production, economy, and society at large. Information society is seen as the successor to industrial society. Closely related concepts are the post-industrial society (Daniel Bell), post-fordism, post-modern society, knowledge society, Telematic Society, Information Revolution, and network society (Manuel Castells).

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Selected quote

A library doesn't need windows. A library is a window.
Stewart Brand, unknown
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Selected biography

Sanford Berman (b. October 6, 1933) is an outspoken, radical librarian (cataloger) known for promoting alternative viewpoints in librarianship and acting as a pro-active information conduit to other librarians around the world, mostly via public speaking, voluminous correspondence, and unsolicited "care packages" delivered via the U.S. Postal Service. Will Manley, columnist for the American Library Association publication American Libraries, referred to Berman as a 'bibliographic warrior.'

The spark of Berman's cataloging revolution was the inclusion in Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) of the term kaffir, which he came across while working in Zambia : "Berman was told by offended black fellow-workers that calling someone a kafir was similar to being called a nigger in America."

This motivated him to systematically address subject heading bias in his work at Hennepin County Library and in writing "Prejudices and Antipathies: A Tract on the LC Subject Heads Concerning People."

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The historical reading room at the University Library of Graz.
Image credit: Dr. Marcus Gossler
The University Library of Graz, whose historical reading room is pictured here, is the third biggest scientific and public library in Austria.
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Topics in library and information science

General Structure Storage/ retrieval Society


Institutions Scientometrics Informatics Preservation




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