Customer Reviews

Foundations of Library and Information Science

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book is a nice primer for anyone considering a profession as a librarian. However, I bought it hoping for an introduction to the theory and design of taxonomies, thesauri, and controlled vocabularies. I was disappointed to find that the emphasis is on standards, ethics, the library as an institution, etc. The title is a bit misleading.

Wow. Someone called this book reader friendly. ::blink, blink:: I don't know about that. What I do know is that it is a tremendous resource for the LIS professional. Like probably every other MLIS/MLS student in America, I bought this book for one of my early courses. I read snippets. I skimmed mercilessly. I snored repeatedly, but I learned copiously. Buy it if you must. Borrow it if you have the chance. Don't skip it unless you have to.

As with many MLS students, this was the required test for my introductory course. I was dreading it based on some of the reviews I read here. I expected to tolerate the material and then quickly sell my book after the semester. Sure, not all of the material is exciting, but let's be realistic: it's a textbook! Rubin does a fine job of covering the foundations of librarianship. This is not a book to read for practical, how-to information. It is a foundations book ... one that covers the history, values, ethics, and policies of the profession. It also has an interesting chapter on how the profession is evolving. I agree with a previous reviewer's comments that the graphics were uninspiring. On the whole, though, the text is a fine, introductory resource, and one that I'll keep through my MLS program as a reference.

Foundations of Library and Information Science was the assigned text for my first class in an MLS graduate program. The breadth of material covered is extensive. No textbook will ever hold one's interest like a novel, but this one came pretty close. I found myself reading late into the night to find out what the author had to reveal next. This book will definitely be on my shelf as a ready reference throughout my course of study.

In the immortal words of Alec Baldwin in Beetlejuice, this book reads like stereo instructions. I have not yet picked it up to read it without falling asleep. Be warned if you get this title in a library science course. I actually had to track it down. It is one of the most boring, tedious texts I have ever tried to read. Even the graphics are dull and unimaginative. Textbooks don't have to be so stupifyingly boring as this. The book is very thorough, but you really have to work to stay with it. Run away, run away!!

Rubin offers a competent and well prepared text that covers the field thoroughly. The book, however, is written in a manner that takes all of the interest, colour, and excitement out of librarianship. It is dull and it is boring big time, and it tends to put off those interested in becoming librarians. I know because I'm using it now in a course that I'm teaching. There is really no reason for this for producing such a flat, unappealing volume. I strongly urge Rubin to take on a co-author who would be able to put some life and human interest in this otherwise commendable work. He owes it to his profession.

This is my first book for my Master's of Library and Information Science degree. I already work in the public library which makes this book a little easier to understand. It can be a little dry but I have found that it is readable and informative.

Compared to Arlene G Taylor's writings on library science, Richard Rubin is positively scintillating. I find this book very manageable in comparison.

Now in an updated and expanded second edition, Foundations Of Library And Information Science by Richard E. Rubin (Director and Professor at the School of Library and Information Science at Kent State University) continues to be an impressive, "reader friendly", comprehensive introduction to American and Canadian library and information studies programs. Foundations Of Library And Information Science explores practice of librarianship, the development of information science, the growth of technologies, evolut-ion in policy, the intellectual organization of institutions, the mission of libraries from past to present, and ethical aspects/principles between information providers and their clients. This significantly revised edition also includes new coverage of metadata, information architecture, UCITA, digital libraries, the Patriot Act, digital rights management, and other critical issues directly affecting access to and use of library-based information. Foundations Of Library And Information Science continues to be an indispensable addition to professional and academic Library Science reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

This book was used as the text for a class in library science. It is a very good introduction to the subject and very readable. Anyone interested in studying information or library science might want to check this out to get an overview. It deals with current issues, but it is a foundational text, so the discussions on marketing and Web 2.0 are just mentioned.