Foundations of Library and Information Science (2016)
Richard E. Rubin
ALA Editions
978-0-8389-1370-3
Much has happened since the last edition of this benchmark text was
published. Today’s LIS professionals are experiencing both excitement
and trepidation as sweeping societal, technological, political, and
economic changes affect our users and institutions and transform our
discipline. We are increasingly part of a sophisticated infrastructure:
the boundaries of knowledge creation, acquisition, organization,
dissemination, use, and evaluation are rapidly blurring, creating new
challenges. Similarly, we are also part of a changing environment: an
aging population, a ubiquitous and evolving internet, the proliferation
of social media and mobile devices, significant financial stresses on
public institutions, and changing information policies affecting
creators and distributors of knowledge. The profession demands constant
growth, continuous learning, and open minds, and the new edition of
Rubin’s book offers a firm foundation of knowledge and guidance for LIS
students and professionals alike. Responding to the many changes
occurring both in the field and in society at large, this text includes
comprehensive coverage of:
- the history and mission of libraries, from past to present;
- digital devices, social networking, and other technology;
- the impact of digital publishing on the publishing industry and the effects of eBooks on libraries
- values and ethics of the profession;
- how
library services have evolved in the areas of virtual reference,
embedded librarianship, digital access and repositories, digital
preservation, and civic engagement;
- new and ongoing efforts to
organize knowledge, such as FRBR, RDA: Resource Description and Access,
BIBFRAME, the Semantic Web, and the Next Generation Catalog (Catalog
2.0);
- the significance of the digital divide and policy issues related to broadband access and network neutrality;
- the concept of intellectual freedom, and how it plays out in the real world;
- legal
developments like new interpretations of copyright related to mass
digitization of books (Google Books) and scholarly articles;
- the continuing tensions in LIS education between information science and library science; and
- initiatives to integrate libraries, archives, and museums (LAMs);
Spanning
all types of libraries, from public to academic, school, and special,
this book illuminates the major facets of library and information
science for aspiring professionals as well as those already practicing
in the field.