Foundations of Library

and Information Science

THIRD EDITION
Richard E. Rubin
Neal-Schuman Publishers
New York London
Published by Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.
100 William St., Suite 2004
New York, NY 10038
Copyright 2010 Richard E. Rubin.
All rights reserved. Reproduction of this book, in whole or in part, without written permission
of the publisher, is prohibited.
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National
Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials,
ANSI Z39.48-1992.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rubin, Richard, 1949-
Foundations of library and information science / Richard E. Rubin. 3rd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-55570-690-6 (alk. paper)
1. Library scienceUnited States. 2. Information scienceUnited States. I. Title.
Z665.2.U6R83 2010
020'.0973dc22
2010009302
Editorial Advisory Board
Kendra Albright, Associate Professor, School of Library and Information Science,
University of South Carolina
Michele V. Cloonan, Dean and Professor, Graduate School of Library & Information
Science, Simmons College
Joseph Janes, Associate Professor, Information School, University of Washington
Michael Stephens, Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information
Science, Dominican University
Contents
List of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Joseph Janes
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter 1. The Educational, Recreational, and Informational
Infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Chapter 2. From Past to Present: The History and Mission
of Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Chapter 3. Library and Information Science: An Evolving
Profession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Chapter 4. The Organization of Information: Techniques and Issues . . . . . 127
Chapter 5. The Library as an Institution: An Organizational
Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Chapter 6. Redefining the Library: The Impact and Implications
of Technological Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Chapter 7. Information Science: A Service Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Chapter 8. Information Policy: Stakeholders and Agendas . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Chapter 9. Information Policy as Library Policy:
Intellectual Freedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371
Chapter 10. The Values and Ethics of Library and
Information Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
iii
Appendix A. Summary of Major Library and Information Science
Associations and List of Additional Associations . . . . . . . . . . . 441
Appendix B. Accredited Masters Programs in Library and Information
Science in the United States and Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471
IV FOUNDATIONS OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
DONT MISS THIS BOOKS COMPANION WEB SITE!
www.neal-schuman.com/foundations
Find expanded Selected Readings lists for the major subject
areas covered in this book:
History and Mission of Libraries
The LIS Profession
Intellectual Organization of Libraries
Libraries as Organizations
Impact of Technology
Information Science
Information Policy
Information Policy and Libraries
Ethics and Values
Figures
Figure 1.1 Average Time Spent with Consumer Media
per User per Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Figure 1.2 Number of Public, Academic, Government,
and Special Libraries, 19802009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Figure 1.3 The Structure of Education in the United States . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Figure 3.1 Employment by Occupation, 2006, and Projected 2016
Library and Information Science Occupations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Figure 3.2 Employed Persons by Detailed Occupation and Age,
Annual Average 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Figure 3.3 Racial and Gender Characteristics of Selected
Occupations, 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Figure 4.1 Dewey Decimal Classification Main Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Figure 4.2 Library of Congress Main Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Figure 4.3 Sample Library of Congress Subject Headings . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Figure 4.4 Cutters Objects of the Catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Figure 4.5 Functions of the Catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Figure 4.6 Selected MARC Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Figure 4.7 Sample MARC Record with Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Figure 5.1 Number of Libraries in the United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Figure 7.1 The Spectrum of the Information Disciplines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Figure 8.1 Library of Congress Year 2008 at a Glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Figure 9.1 The Library Bill of Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
v
Figure 9.2 Freedom to View Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Figure 9.3 The Glasgow Declaration on Libraries, Information
Services, and Intellectual Freedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
Figure 10.1 ALA Library Code of Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
Figure 10.2 Code of Ethics for Archivists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
Figure 10.3 ASIS&T Professional Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
Figure 10.4 Libraries: An American Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435
VI FOUNDATIONS OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
Foreword
Textbooks are unique. We normally think of them, naturally, as instructional aids,
sources that can be read or consulted when needed (or perhaps just highlighted as
part of some mystically osmotic process of learning), usually accompanying a formal,
structured course. They serve both as frameworks for those courses and as a kind of
repository to be dipped into on demand; in some ways theyre like narrative books
and in others more like reference materials.
They also have a secondary functionthey make great milestones, marking the
path that a topic or discipline takes as it evolves. This is particularly true when you
look at them over time. Reading, for example, Margaret Hutchinss Introduction to
Reference Work from 1944, you can see just how far our knowledge and practice of
reference services has comeand how much remains the same.
So writing a good textbook isnt easy, but it is important. The really fine ones
leave a mark, and thats what Rick Rubin has done with this latest edition of his
foundations textbook. Its staggering to think about how much effort and thought
must go into a book like this; trying to distill decades (centuries, really) of theory,
practice, opinion, and experience in a field that is broad and expanding and evolving
on a daily basis.
Its also particularly challenging because of the audience. Many people come to
the library and information professions after work in the field for a while, but many
dont, so theres no common language or experience to draw upon. For some of you,
this will be your first exposure to our world and professional culture. Let me reassure
you that youre in very capable hands.
For those of you who are joining us, regardless of your background, this book
may appear at first glance to be a straightforward exposition of the literature, history,
and traditions of the library and information work, and that it is.
It is also the story of humanity. Look at the sweep of human history and what you
will find is the records and traces: cave drawings, scrolls, clay tablets, manuscripts,
books, newspapers, pamphlets, journals, diaries, letters, paintings, sound recordings,
moving images, blogs, and on and on and on. From Lascaux to YouTube, the message
is the same: I was here, and I have a story to tell.
vii
That cultural heritage, and the human record that tells those stories, is entrusted
to us to preserve, collect, organize, manage, search, and help people to use, and
thats what we do. So as you read this, learning about the rich heritage and traditions
of your new professional domain, once in a while I want you to stop and take a deep
breath and remember that while the fine details of AACR or CIPA or OCLC or the
OED are important, theres more going on.
We make humanity more human. We grease the wheels of knowledge, so that the
people we serve can consult that human record more easily and effectively, and use
what they find to learn and better themselves and their communities. The only thing
I can guarantee you is that almost everything important in our world will change . . .
yet much endures and youll find a lot to help you along here.
One final word, on behalf of the long line of those who have gone before, and the
thousands of colleagues eagerly awaiting your arrival. There is nothing better you
can do with your life. Youre entering a profession that we cherish deeply and hold
dear and we cant wait to see the wonderful things you do. All the best as you start
on your way.
Joseph Janes
Associate Professor, The Information School
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington
VIII FOUNDATIONS OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
Preface
Keeping up is hard to do. Much has happened since the second edition of Foundations
of Library and Information Science was published six years ago. The boundaries of
library and information science (LIS) continue to expand, the issues proliferate
and grow in complexity, and the challenges we face are serious and relentless. It is
daunting and delightful. Our profession demands constant growth, continuous
learning, and open minds. We know that next year something new will again force us
to reexamine our thinking and reassess our practices, policies, and sometimes even
our purpose. We are fortunate that we have a firm foundation on which to make
changes: a distinguished history, strong values, and an active professional and
academic community ready to address our challenges.
As with its predecessors, this new edition has been designed to respond to the
many changes occurring in the field and the society at large. It preserves much of
the content of the second edition but has been reorganized, rewritten, and extensively
updated. Most important, new or enhanced discussions have been added including
(1) the growing impact of the World Wide Web; (2) blogs, wikis, and other forms of
social networking on services; (3) electronic publishing, including e-books, digital
libraries, digital preservation, mass digitization, and digital repositories; (4) new
efforts to organize knowledge such as the development of Functional Requirements
for Bibliographic Records (FRBR); (5) the significance of the digital divide and
policy issues related to broadband access and network neutrality; (6) changes in
library services such as roving reference, e-government, and gaming; (7) legal
developments such as new applications and impacts of the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act;
and (8) the increasing tensions in LIS education between information science and
library science.
Regarding this last point, there remains an ongoing debate as to whether library
science and information science are separate disciplines. There are also argu-
ments about what constitutes the domains of each. Foundations of Library and
Information Science is focused on the complementary nature of these disciplines
using Boyd Raywards 1983 description of the relationship between library and
information science as a disciplinary continuum. . . with no easily identifiable
ix
boundary separating them though the difference between the extreme ends of the
continuum are clear and even dramatic (p. 344). This book focuses on the points of
convergence.
PURPOSE
The primary purpose of Foundations of Library and Information Science remains to
describe the current library and information science environment and examine some
of the ever-changing forces that shape that environment and the larger society. My
intent is to help prepare LIS professionals to cope with and effectively manage their
many complex responsibilities. Bearing this emphasis in mind, this text is designed
to accomplish six objectives:
1. To provide an introduction to the field for individuals intending to work in
libraries or library-like institutions, related settings, or the information field in
general.
2. To identify and discuss major topics and issues in library and information sci-
ence that are current in the United States and that will continue to affect the
profession for years to come.
3. To provide librarians and information professionals with an opportunity to
refresh their knowledge through a systematic review of major issues and topics
that have changed the field.
4. To introduce the profession to interested individuals or those undecided about
entering the library and information science field and to show its multifac-
eted character and possibilities.
5. To place library and information science in a larger social, economic, and
political context. It is too easy to view the work of LIS professionals purely
within an institutional setting. Increasingly, librarians and other information
professionals must negotiate and respond to a variety of political, economic,
technological, and social forces.
6. To invite the interested reader to further explore topics raised in this book.
Many of these topics are part of an ongoing discussion in our field that
requires further reading, research, and exchange.
ORGANIZATION
Although many of the original chapter headings remain, the arrangement of chapters
in this edition has been altered in response to feedback from faculty members and
our editorial advisory board.
X FOUNDATIONS OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
The Introduction and Chapter 1 provide a broad overview and context for the
ensuing chapters. The Introduction identifies and discusses four major forces shaping
the broader society and concomitantly the world of LIS professionals and institutions.
Chapter 1, The Educational, Recreational, and Informational Infrastructure,
provides an important context by describing and discussing critical institutions that
support libraries and other information-disseminating institutions.
Chapters 2 and 3 provide the historical foundations of libraries as institutions
and of library and information science as a profession. From Past to Present: The
History and Mission of Libraries examines the character of libraries through time
with specific emphasis on their many and varied purposes. Chapter 3, Library and
Information Science: An Evolving Profession, reviews the evolution and development
of the profession. The contemporary American library and information professional is
a product of more than a hundred years of growth and change. The current role of LIS
professionals and the professional tensions that they experience are best understood
when placed in the context of the historical development of library and information
science education and the profession.
Chapter 4 examines the intellectual organization of libraries. The Organization
of Information: Techniques and Issues discusses the organizational systems that
make information, in all its myriad forms, available. In spite of the vast quantities of
disparate materials, our classification systems, subject headings, thesauri, data-
bases, and powerful catalogs enable LIS professionals to offer information retrieval
on demand. Organizing information is one of the touchstones of our profession.
Chapters 5 and 6 explore libraries as institutions; first from a general perspective,
and then focusing on the specific effects of technology. Chapter 5, The Library as an
Institution: An Organizational Perspective, examines contemporary libraries, their
types, and internal functions, as well as the major organizational issues that they face.
Chapter 6, Redefining the Library: The Impacts and Implications of Technological
Change, deals with one of the biggest areas of change in our field, the growth of
information technologies, especially those that have affected the organization and
delivery of information in libraries and information centers. Information technologies
have altered the way information providers in all types of organizations interact with
their users. Issues arising from these changes are addressed.
Chapter 7, Information Science: A Service Perspective, focuses on the nature of
information science as a field of study, calling special attention to those aspects of the
discipline that inform the work of LIS professionals.
Chapters 8, 9, and 10 deal with philosophical and policy issues affecting library
and information science. These include the policies, laws, values, and ethics that
define our work. Chapter 8, Information Policy: Stakeholders and Agendas,
discusses the more general aspects of information policy and the legal environment
in which libraries and other information institutions operate. Government, business,
industry, public institutions, LIS professionals, and citizens all are stakeholders in
PREFACE XI
trying to shape how information will be disseminated and who will disseminate it.
Chapter 9, Information Policy as Library Policy: Intellectual Freedom, focuses on
libraries and examines key information policies, such as those related to intellectual
freedom and equitable access to information. Chapter 10, The Values and Ethics
of Library and Information Science, examines the many ethical ramifications of
working in the field. Ethical principles, codes, and situations are reviewed and the
values that undergird our profession are examined.
To permit an examination of the same topic from different vantage points, Foun-
dations of Library and Information Science addresses most topics primarily in one
chapter, but some important issues are raised anew in a different context in other
chapters. For example, censorship and intellectual freedom issues are discussed
most thoroughly in Chapter 9, but they also arise in Chapter 8, on information policy,
and The Library as an Institution, Chapter 5. The Internet and Web, because they
undergird most information transmission today, are covered in multiple chapters as
well. Similarly, because of the tremendous breadth of our field, some complementary
areas are mentioned but not explored in depth, including such fields as publishing
and book arts, archives, and computer science.
A list of highly selected readings follows each chapter. These selections provide
sources of additional information and stimulate thought on the basic issues raised in
this text. See this books companion Web site (www.neal-schuman.com/foundations)
for expanded lists of selected readings for the major subject areas covered in this book:
History and Mission of Libraries
The LIS Profession
Intellectual Organization of Libraries
Libraries as Organizations
Impact of Technology
Information Science
Information Policy
Information Policy and Libraries
Ethics and Values
Readers should understand that continuous consultation with the most recently
published material is essential if one is to stay current.
Rounding out the book, two appendixes provide supplemental information on LIS
associations and accredited schools of library and information science in the United
States and Canada.
No LIS professional can function unless he or she understands the importance
of information, how libraries are organized intellectually and administratively,
the effects of information policies, and the values and ethics of librarians and
XII FOUNDATIONS OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
the profession. The challenge of all professionals is to stay current in a world in
flux. The library is a special place; library and information science is a special
profession. The roles of the former and latter, as well as the broader forces that shape
those roles, constitute the major focus of Foundations of Library and Information
Science. Its goal is to be a valuable resource for those entering the profession and
those who have already taken their place within it.
REFERENCE
Rayward, Boyd. 1983. Library and Information Sciences. In The Study of Information:
Interdisciplinary Messages. Edited by Fritz Machlup and Una Mansfield. New York:
Wiley, 343363.
PREFACE XIII