Outline of library and information science

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to library and information science:

Library and information science (LIS) is the scientific study of issues related to libraries and the information fields. This includes academic studies regarding how library resources are used and how people interact with library systems. The organization of knowledge for efficient retrieval of relevant information is also a major research goal of library science. Being interdisciplinary, it overlaps with computer science, various social sciences, statistics, and systems analysis.

Nature of library and information science

Definition

Library and information science can be described as all of the following:

The study of libraries and information both in terms of theory and practice.
Field of science – widely recognized category of specialized expertise within science, and typically embodies its own terminology and nomenclature. Such a field will usually be represented by one or more scientific journals, where peer reviewed research is published. There are many library and information-related scientific journals.
- Social science – field of academic scholarship that explores aspects of human society.

Essence

Library and information science
- Library science
- Information science

Branches of library and information science

Types of library and information professionals

Librarian
- Application specialist – see integrated library system
- Cataloguing librarian – see library catalog
- Collections librarian – see library collection development
- Electronic resources librarian – see electronic resource management
- Law librarian – expert in legal research
- Metadata librarian – see metadata
- Reference librarian – helps patrons with research
- Research instruction librarian – see library instruction
- Teacher-librarian
Archivist
Curator
Indexer
Information architect
Information consultant (may be a qualified librarian)
Prospect researcher
Records manager (see Records management)

History of library and information science

History of library science

Types of libraries

Specific libraries

List of libraries

Library and information resources

Document

Information media

Types of publications

Catalogs and indexes

Information science

Organization of information

Electronic information storage and retrieval

Infometrics

Bibliometrics – studies quantitative aspects of recorded information
Webometrics – studies quantitative aspects of the World Wide Web
Cybermetrics – similar to webometrics, but broadens its definition to include electronic resources