The relation between information science and library science has been debated for decades, and even attempts at utilizing methods generally acknowledged as robust for the purpose of mapping research fields have yielded results with large variations. Therefore, a set of citation analyses was performed, comparing the results of analyses on…

Surveys some of the theoretical positions that underlie various qualitative research methods and discusses the methodological issues raised by those positions for use in library and information science research. Contextualization, understanding, pluralism, and expression are discussed; and qualitative research methods are compared with a…

Reports the findings of a study of library and information science faculty and compares results to a previous study of social science and humanities scholars. Topics addressed include collegial research relationships, publishing, professional association activities, attitudes toward scholarly and professional literature, computer skills and uses…

Introduces this journal issue which is a symposium on the theory, methods, and applications of qualitative research in the field of library and information science. Highlights include a definition of qualitative research, models of qualitative research, distinguishing features of research practice, comparisons with quantitative research, and…