COLLECTIONS:

Special Collections

University Archives

Collection Preservation

Research Collections:
Library Science Collection

Collection Overview
The library science collection is a working collection which exists to aid the librarians of Boston College in their responsibilities.  Additions to this professional collection are made to keep librarians up to date in their fields.  Publications of the major professional associations and publishers are collected as they apply to the Boston College Libraries.  General statistical and directory sources which are considered useful to the administration the Libraries are also acquired.   Many classics in the field have been acquired over the years, and donations have added to this collection.  The collection is not designed to substitute for the collection to be found in a school of library science.  Many of the items acquired are not cataloged but are housed in the department or office which would find them of value: cataloging rules in Cataloging, new reference tools in the Reference and Instructional Services Department.  Several of the journals are routed to individuals or departments and some, with reviewing as their primary purpose, are marked.  A few journals deal with the business aspect of publishing and are of use to undergraduates for the information they provide on industry trends.

The library science collection also serves library users who are interested in areas covered by the collection such as the history of books and book-making, the book industry, information resources, and the study of various modes of writing (calligraphy, typewriting, word processing, etc.).  The coverage in these areas is selective.  Bibliographies (call number range Z1001-8999) of all sorts including national, subject, and personal bibliographies are collected as part of other collections, either subject-oriented or reference, and are covered by those collection development policies.  Therefore, the latest bibliography of Aquinas research would be collected as part of the theology collection, and the publication of a new volume of a national bibliography would be added to the reference collection.

Rapid advances in computer and networking technology have resulted in the increased acquisition of electronic resources, including electronic versions of familiar library science indexes. Electronic journals continue to increase in the discipline, vastly improving identification of and access to research resources.

Christine Conroy
Library Science Bibliographer
1-617-552-3210
E-Mail:  conroyc@bc.edu

Selected Resources

In the O'Neill Library:

• Important sets: The Spec Kits issued by ARL.

• Comprehensive holdings in U.S. library science journal literature.

• Reference works: Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science.

On the Web (Restricted to the BC Community):

• Subject index to the literature:  Library Literature

• General indexes: Arts & Humanities Citation Index (Web of Science), Expanded Academic Index ASAP (InfoTrac), FRANCIS Bulletin Signalétique.

• Full text electronic journals may be found at the following e-journal gateway: Emerald Library:

Research Guides
More information about available resources can be found in the following resource guide: Research Guide: Library Science.

Interdisciplinary Elements of Subject Area
Library science and information science often overlap.  Most of the library specific publications are considered library science, while artificial intelligence or expert systems materials are considered computer science.  Bibliographies are part of every subject collection as well as the reference collection.

Formats and Types of Materials
Most library science materials are in print formats.  Many journals and indexes are now available on the World Wide Web, and some sources are arriving in CD-ROM format.  Online access to library databases supplement print sources.  Many of the association publications come in the form of pamphlets.  For certain topics, audiocassettes are part of the collection, which also contains some training films.

Languages
English is the only language collected, except for selected bibliographies

Geographic Areas (Subject Approach)
Emphasis is on the United States.

Time Periods (Subject Approach)
The most current materials are of the greatest interest.

Date of Publication
Current publications are collected.

Subject Areas Collected by Library of Congress Classification Number
BCAT, the online catalog, can be searched by LC classification number to get a better idea of what specific titles the library science collection contains.  For example, the command c=ZA3250 will produce  a list of works on the information superhighway.  This list can be browsed by pressing the F8 key or typing f and pressing the Enter/Return key.