According to Bemis, Library and Information Science: A Guide to Key Literature and Sources was written because he “needed a current annotated bibliography of library science but couldn't find one”. What Bemis has succeeded in doing is creating a book that is packed with a lot of interesting and useful information for library and information science faculty and students, as well as for working academic, public and school librarians in various stages of their careers.
Michael Bemis holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree from St. Catherine University and has written several reference book reviews for various professional librarian publications. With Bemis's credentials, and the fact that the book is published by the American Library Association, readers can rest assured the information contained in it is valid, reliable, trustworthy and authoritative.
Like most print products from ALA Editions, the binding of this book is sturdy and the layout easy to follow and visually appealing. The 39 chapters, which cover different areas of library science, are arranged in alphabetical order by title and include: Administration and Management; Careers and Employment; Collection Management; Funding and Finance; Information Technology; Law; Library Science, History of; Patron Services; Quotations; Reference Work; Special, Academic, and School Libraries and Librarians; and Writing and Publishing. One especially useful touch Bemis added to the book is the Library of Congress (LC) subject headings that appear on the top left-hand side of each chapter title page. For example, the chapter covering International Librarianship lists the following three LC subject headings: Comparative Librarianship, International Librarianship and Library Science—Developing Countries. All of the chapters are conveniently subdivided into four format categories: books, periodicals, Web sites and databases. In addition, 11 FYI sidebars are listed in eight chapters of the book, for example those covering Architecture, Awards and Recognition and Funding and Finance, providing additional sources of information. Four of these FYIs are categorized as Historic Interest sidebars listed in three chapters on Library Science, General; Reference Work; and Special, Academic and School Libraries. These sidebars list out-of-print titles Bemis believes are too important to otherwise exclude.
Altogether, the book is divided into 45 sections with the addition of the Table of Contents, Acknowledgments, Introduction, two appendices (Appendix A: American Library Association Divisions, Chapters and Affiliates; Appendix B: International and National Professional Associations) and the Author and Title Index.
While writing this review, three concerns came to mind. The first is that like many books from ALA Editions, this book seems overpriced at $67 for a paperback edition. Second, even though Bemis admits his book is not all-encompassing, some librarians will still be disappointed that some areas of library science are underrepresented or have been left out of the book. For example, access/circulation services, government documents and technical services are all omitted. Finally, while Bemis points out that books and print periodicals are his main focus, most working librarians will find themselves wishing he had paid more attention to Web sites, databases and electronic resources. Nevertheless, library and information science educators and students, as well as librarians working in the public, academic and media specialist sectors, will find Library and Information Science: A Guide to Key Literature and Sources a useful and worthwhile tool to keep within reach.
