Librarianship: An Introduction

Citation

Freeman, M. (2008), "Librarianship: An Introduction", New Library World, Vol. 109 No. 9/10, pp. 489-490. https://doi.org/10.1108/03074800810910540

With the rapid expansion and diversification of library and information work over the past decade one could imagine the one volume primer encompassing the whole range of the profession was as dead as the dodo. Not so. This well produced Introduction from the reputable publishing arm of CILIP, written by four experienced and authoritative LIS professionals nicely fills a large gap in the professional literature and will be welcomed by LIS students in particular.

The book contains good, well referenced and clearly written chapters on the core areas of the LIS profession, e.g. classification, library services, information retrieval, and digital libraries. Education and research in librarianship are well covered, with a helpful international dimension included and “thinking point” questions posed at appropriate junctures. The section on Research Methods is clear, concise and helpful, covering such topics as ethnography, content analysis and surveys. Finally, in the book's Epilogue the authors make the wise and comforting assertion that “the long history that the library profession has enjoyed is in no danger of ending if we can, as a collective, embrace new roles and responsibilities alongside those we have traditionally cherished”. Hear, Hear!

All in all, a valuable, timely and well produced book, with good references, glossary and Index. It will prove a boon to both LIS students and practitioners and is to be welcomed as a strong asset to the professional literature.