Library and Information Science

The author investigates the structure and interrelations of the library and information science journal literature as a study on the flow of information in library and information science.

The data used in the analysis are based on the citations obtained from 750 articles of 15 important English or American journals belonging to library and information science. The analysis method derived from Narin’s techniques of bibliographical citation analysis is used to explicate the structure.

The author supposes that library science and information science may be regarded as the fundamental source fields for library and information science. Fifteen English language journals are classified either into library science and information science. The following indices are obtained for individual journal. The vertical coordinate of the hierachical diagram is citation ratio. The horizontal coordinate is the number after subtracting total number of citations from information science journals from total number of citations from library science journals. Each journal is located on the diagram by a point with the vertical and horizontal coordinate.

Results are as follows: It has been proved that there are the distinct differences between the citations obtained from the journals in the field of library science and those of information science.

1. The structure of the library and information science journals literature consists of the two groups of the library science journals and information science journals.
2. The percentages of citations within 5 years are 35–60 percent in library science and 60–80 percent in information science.
3. 78 percent of the references in the articles in library science journals are to articles in library and information science journals. On the other hand those of information science journals are 48 percent. It has been concluded that information science is interdisciplinary.

The author investigates the structure of Japanese library and information science journals literature. The references in the articles in Japanese library science journals are mainly to the English or American library science journals. On the other hand those of Japanese information science journals are mainly to the Anglo-American information science journals.

As the result of the citation analysis of these English, American and Japanese journals, the structure of the library and information science journals are grasped by the two groups of the library science journal literature and the information science journal literature.