Library Networking and Information Research

Contents: Preface. 1. Libraries and Austerity in higher education. 2. Level of networking and changing technology. 3. Information and knowledge management. 4. Naturalistic inquiry for research. 5. The research library today. 6. Decentralizing the library. 7. Electronic library and services in practice. 8. Information technology services. 9. Barriers to information seeking. Bibliography. Index.

Library science is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and other areas to libraries, the collection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of information resources, and the political economy of information. Library and information science LIS is a merging of the two fields library science and information science. It is associated with schools of library and information science abbreviated to SLIS, which generally developed from professional schools to research based university institutions during the second half of the twentieth century.

Prior to computerization library tasks were performed manually and independently from one another. The next big innovation came with the advent of MARC standards in the 1960s which coincided with the growth of computer technologies library automation was born. In more recent years with the growth of digital technology, the field has been greatly influenced by information science concepts. Although a basic understanding is critical to both library research and practical work the area of information science has remained largely distinct both in training and in research interests. (jacket)