Richard E. Rubin

First of all, yes, this is a textbook, so it already loses points for excitement and story-telling. But, aside from that, if you want to learn the complete basics of library science, then Richard Rubin’s Foundations of Library and Information Science is a great start. I had the opportunity to study under Dr. Rubin at Kent State, so this book reminded me of that time a great deal. Reading it straight through in less than a week is not advised, however. It’s meant to be sampled and show more discussed over the course of three or four months. It gives a comprehensive history of all kinds of libraries (public, special, school, etc.) and their service to the public as well as new avenues (at least new in 2004) of growth, research, and technology. FRBR and massive online databases had finally matured somewhat, so an interesting amount of the material covers those. It’s a little dry, and the author tries to break up the monotony with a few jokes here and there, but it’s the passion of the author that stands out. Passages on the ethics and morals of libraries and librarians speak volume about where we are as a society and how information should be handled. If this is the textbook for your class, then you will have all the information you need about the field. A thick, educational book. show less

This is a book that I will reach for again and again as I advance in my studies, and in my professional development, for Library and Information Science. I am reading the fifth edition of this book (published in 2020), and am finding it timely and relevant.The book includes discussion of the COVID-19 pandemic and how the shutdown of physical libraries affected delivery of services. The subject of library outreach during COVID was “still being written” at the time of publication, and this show more book does an excellent job encapsulating a situation that continues to evolve. show less

Obviously this was for class, but I did actually enjoy it! It was thorough, well written, and interesting (as a newcomer to the field). My only complaint is that a lot of the info was outdated, which is clearly a never-ending battle in this particular filed. Things change quickly, and a new edition with updated info and statistics is a must!
KSD

A bit dry, but what do you expect from a textbook! I found some of the material outdated, but it provided a decent foundation and prompted a lot of class discussion.