Foundations of Library and Information Science, Fourth Edition

Richard E. Rubin

Nov 2017 · American Library Association

About this ebook

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.

Ratings and reviews

Very well written, even I am a Canadian but I am still able to understand this book. However not worth the price.

About the author

Richard E. Rubin served as Director of the School of Library and Information Science at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, from 1999–2010, and subsequently became Associate Provost for Extended (Online) Education at KSU until his retirement in 2013. He received his AB in Philosophy from Oberlin College, his MLS from Kent State University, and his PhD from the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has spoken and presented at workshops throughout the United States, primarily on aspects of human resource management, including hiring, performance evaluation, discipline and termination, worker motivation, and ethics in the workplace. Dr. Rubin has been active in professional associations on the national and local level, including serving as a member and Chair of the ALA Committee on Accreditation. He is the author of numerous publications, including three books, Human Resources Management in Libraries: Theory and Practice (Neal-Schuman, 1991), Hiring Library Employees (Neal-Schuman, 1994), and three editions of Foundations of Library and Information Science (Neal-Schuman 2000, 2004, 2010). His articles have appeared in a variety of journals, including Library Quarterly and Library and Information Science Research.