Library Journal

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Library Journal
Library Journal Logo.svg
Library Journal Movers & Shakers 2007 cover.jpg
The cover of a 2007 edition of Library Journal
Frequency20 per year
Founder Melvil Dewey
Founded1876;148 years ago (1876)
Company Media Source Inc.
CountryUnited States
Based in New York City, New York, U.S.
Website www.libraryjournal.com
ISSN 0363-0277
OCLC 818916619

Library Journal is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice. It also reviews library-related materials and equipment. Each year since 2008, the Journal has assessed public libraries and awarded stars in their Star Libraries program.

Contents

Its "Library Journal Book Review" does pre-publication reviews of several hundred popular and academic books each month.

With a circulation of approximately 100,000, Library Journal has the highest circulation of any librarianship journal, according to Ulrich's. [1]

Library Journal's original publisher was Frederick Leypoldt, whose company became R. R. Bowker. Reed International later merged into Reed Elsevier and purchased Bowker in 1985; they published Library Journal until 2010, when it was sold to Media Source Inc., owner of the Junior Library Guild and The Horn Book Magazine . [2]

Early history

The cover of Volume 3, No. 2 of Library Journal, published in 1878 1878 LibraryJournal v3 no2 April.png
The cover of Volume 3, No. 2 of Library Journal, published in 1878

Founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey, Library Journal originally declared itself to be the "official organ of the library associations of America and of the United Kingdom", according to the journal's self-description in 1878. [3] Indeed, the journal's original title was American Library Journal, though "American" was removed from the title after the first year. [4] Its early issues focused on the growth and development of libraries, with feature articles by such prominent authors as R. R. Bowker, Charles Cutter, and Melvil Dewey, and focusing on cataloging, indexing, and lending schemes. In its early issues, Bowker discussed cataloging principles; Cutter, creator of the Cutter Expansive Classification system, developed his ideas; and managing editor Dewey made recommendations for early library circulation systems. Initially, Library Journal did not review books unless they related to librarians' professional interests, but then, like now, the journal ran articles on collection development and ads from publishers recommending their forthcoming books for libraries to purchase.

Early issues of Library Journal were a forum for librarians throughout Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States to share news, discussions of their libraries' ideas and practices, and reports of professional activities such as meetings and conferences. In an 1878 prospectus, the journal stressed its importance by noting that small libraries, in particular, could gain the "costly experience and practical advice" of the largest libraries. Regular reading of Library Journal, the prospectus declared, would make "the librarian worth more to the library, and the library worth more to the people." [5] In the Notes and Queries section, librarians shared reports of how their library managed common problems, and they maintained a constant exchange of questions and answers about authorship and reader's advisory. Two prominent sections, the Bibliography (compiled by Cutter) and Pseudonyms and Antonyms (compiled by James L. Whitney), served as reference resources for librarians.

Current features

The print edition of Library Journal contains the following sections:

Annual awards

January

February

March

June

November

Star libraries

In 2008 the journal started awarding public libraries with a star system, grouping libraries into categories by expenditure level. [39] In 2018, the journal award five stars in the over-US$30 million expenditures category to five libraries: Cuyahoga County Public Library, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Seattle Public Library, Cleveland Public Library, and King County Library System. [40] A total of 257 libraries nationwide were awarded stars, ranging from 3 stars to 5, in the nine different expenditure level categories. [40]

Website

LibraryJournal.com, the Library Journal website, provides both subscribers and non-subscribers full access to all print content as well as recent archives. Visitors can sign up for email newsletters such as "BookSmack", "Library Hotline", "LJ Academic Newswire", "LJ Review Alert", and "LJXpress". Web articles in the site's "Libraries & Librarians" category are listed by topic, with each topic assigned its own RSS feed so that users can receive articles relevant to their interests. Past and present reviews are archived and organized by type (book, DVD, gaming, magazine, video, etc.); they are also available via RSS feeds. Another feature is "InfoDocket" (edited by Gary Price and Shirl Kennedy, originally founded, and still accessible, as an separate website at InfoDocket.com). [41] Additionally, Library Journal maintains an up-to-date list of library jobs in the website's "JobZone" feature. [42]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dewey Decimal Classification</span> Library classification system

The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), colloquially known as the Dewey Decimal System, is a proprietary library classification system which allows new books to be added to a library in their appropriate location based on subject. It was first published in the United States by Melvil Dewey in 1876. Originally described in a 44-page pamphlet, it has been expanded to multiple volumes and revised through 23 major editions, the latest printed in 2011. It is also available in an abridged version suitable for smaller libraries. OCLC, a non-profit cooperative that serves libraries, currently maintains the system and licenses online access to WebDewey, a continuously updated version for catalogers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melvil Dewey</span> Inventor of the Dewey Decimal system

Melville Louis Kossuth "Melvil" Dewey was an influential American librarian and educator, inventor of the Dewey Decimal system of library classification, a founder of the Lake Placid Club, and a chief librarian at Columbia University. He was also a founding member of the American Library Association. Although Dewey's contributions to the modern library are widely recognized, his legacy is marred by allegations of sexual harassment, racism, and antisemitism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Ammi Cutter</span> American librarian

Charles Ammi Cutter was an American librarian. In the 1850s and 1860s he assisted with the re-cataloging of the Harvard College library, producing America's first public card catalog. The card system proved more flexible for librarians and far more useful to patrons than the old method of entering titles in chronological order in large books. In 1868 he joined the Boston Athenaeum, making its card catalog an international model. Cutter promoted centralized cataloging of books, which became the standard practice at the Library of Congress. He was elected to leadership positions in numerous library organizations at the local and national level. Cutter is remembered for the Cutter Expansive Classification, his system of giving standardized classification numbers to each book, and arranging them on shelves by that number so that books on similar topics would be shelved together.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Winsor</span> American historian (1831–1897)

Justin Winsor was an American writer, librarian, and historian. His historical work had strong bibliographical and cartographical elements. He was an authority on the early history of North America and was elected the first president of the American Library Association as well as the third president of the American Historical Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Frederick Poole</span> American bibliographer and librarian

William Frederick Poole was an American bibliographer and librarian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Salome Cutler Fairchild</span> American librarian and library educator (1855–1921)

Mary Salome Cutler Fairchild was a pioneering American librarian, educator, and school administrator. She is known for her contributions to the establishment of library science in the United States through her work at the Columbia College library and New York State Library School, as well as her service in the American Library Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Moon</span> British-American librarian

Eric Edward Moon was a librarian and editor who had a shaping influence on American librarianship in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s as editor-in-chief of Library Journal, president of the American Library Association, and chief editor at Scarecrow Press. Moon was a trailblazer and influential figure instrumental in transforming library professionalism, polity, and social responsibility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fremont Rider</span> American writer, genealogist, and librarian

Arthur Fremont Rider was an American writer, poet, editor, inventor, genealogist, and librarian. He studied under Melvil Dewey, of whom he wrote a biography for the American Library Association. Throughout his life he wrote in several genres including plays, poetry, short stories, non-fiction and an auto-biography which he wrote in the third-person. In the early 20th century he became a noted editor and publisher, working on such publications as Publishers Weekly and the Library Journal. In 1933 he became a librarian at Wesleyan University, eventually becoming director of the university's Olin Memorial Library and afterwards founding the Godfrey Memorial Library of genealogy and history in 1947. For his contributions to library science and as a librarian at Wesleyan University he was named one of the 100 Most Important Leaders of Library Science and the Library Profession in the twentieth century by the official publication of the American Library Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Rogers Bowker</span> American publisher, editor, journalist (1848–1933)

Richard Rogers "R. R." Bowker was a journalist, editor of Publishers Weekly and Harper's Magazine, and founder of the R. R. Bowker Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dewey Readmore Books</span> Resident cat at the Spencer Public Library in Spencer, Iowa, US

Dewey Readmore Books was the library cat of the Spencer, Iowa, Public Library. Having been abandoned in the library's drop box in January 1988, he was adopted by the library and gained local attention for his story shortly thereafter.

<i>Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World</i>

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World is a best-selling non-fiction book published in September 2008. The book recounts the life of Dewey Readmore Books, the cat in residence at the Spencer Public Library in Spencer, Iowa.

Herbert Spencer White is an Austrian-born American librarian. He is Dean Emeritus and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the School of Library & Information Science at Indiana University, and Adjunct Professor, University of Arizona, Tucson. A recipient of the ALA Medal of Excellence Award, White is the primary author of at least nine books, and the author of an estimated 200 articles in the professional literature of Library Science. He is a major contributor to current theory and understanding of the role of the special library in contemporary American organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vicki Myron</span> American author and librarian

Vicki Myron is an American author and librarian. Director of the Spencer Public Library for more than 20 years, she is best known for her book Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, co-written with Bret Witter. It sold more than one million copies internationally and was on bestseller lists for more than six months. The book is about a cat she found and cared for at the library, and his engaging effects on the townspeople. The library cat's story became internationally known during his life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Wright Plummer</span> Former president of the American Library Association (1856–1916)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klas August Linderfelt</span> American librarian

Klas August Linderfelt was an American librarian. A native of Sweden, he emigrated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and became a teacher and a librarian. As the first librarian of the Milwaukee Public Library, he became a significant figure in the city and in the library profession, becoming the seventh President of the American Library Association. He left both the city and the profession permanently following his arrest for embezzlement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josephus Nelson Larned</span> American journalist

Josephus Nelson Larned was an American newspaper editor, author, librarian, and historian. As superintendent of the Young Men's Association Library, he presided over its transformation into what is now the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice B. Kroeger</span>

Alice Bertha Kroeger was an American librarian and educator. Kroeger was a student of Melvil Dewey. She founded the library science program at Drexel University in 1892 and directed the program until her death in 1909.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deanna B. Marcum</span> American librarian, executive (1946–2022)

Deanna Bowling Marcum was an American librarian and nonprofit leader who served as president of the Council on Library and Information Resources from 1995 to 2003, Associate Librarian for Library Services at the Library of Congress from 2003 to 2011, and managing director of Ithaka S+R from 2012 to 2016.

The ALA Medal of Excellence is an annual award bestowed by the American Library Association for recent creative leadership of high order, particularly in the fields of library management, library training, cataloging and classification, and the tools and techniques of librarianship. It was first awarded in 1953 to Ralph R. Shaw, Director of the National Agriculture Library.

References

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  2. "Media Source Acquires School Library Journal and Library Journal" (PDF). MediaSourceInc.net. Media Source Inc. March 1, 2010.
  3. "Title page". Library Journal. 3 (1). 1878.
  4. Wiegand, Wayne A. (January 29, 2016). "Present at the Creation". American Libraries . Chicago: American Library Association . Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  5. "Library Journal 3.2 (1878): Title Page".
  6. Berry III, John N (January 1, 2011). "Awards: Nancy Pearl, Librarian of the Year". Library Journal. Archived from the original on January 10, 2011. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  7. "Awards: Luis Herrera, Librarian of the Year". Library Journal. January 1, 2012.
  8. "Awards: Jo Budler, Librarian of the Year". Library Journal. January 1, 2013.
  9. "Awards: Corinne Hill, Librarian of the Year". Library Journal. January 1, 2014.
  10. "Siobhan A. Reardon: LJ's 2015 Librarian of the Year". Library Journal. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  11. "Brooklyn, Queens Librarian Named Best In The Country". Brooklyn, NY Patch. December 24, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  12. "Best Small Library in America: Glen Carbon Centennial Library". Library Journal. February 2010.
  13. "Best Small Library in America: Glen Carbon Centennial Library". Library Journal. February 2011.
  14. "Best Small Library in America: The Independence Public Library". Library Journal. February 2012.
  15. "Best Small Library in America: Southern Area Public Library". Library Journal. February 2013.
  16. "Best Small Library in America: Pine River Library". Library Journal. February 2014.
  17. "The Loaves and Fishes Library | Best Small Library in America 2015". Library Journal. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  18. "Paraprofessional of the Year: Allison Sloan, Senior Library Associate at Reading Public Library in Massachusetts". Library Journal. March 2010.
  19. "Paraprofessional of the Year: Gilda Ramos from Patchogue-Medford Library in New York". Library Journal. March 2011.
  20. "Paraprofessional of the Year: Linda Dahlquist from Volusia County Public Library in Florida". Library Journal. March 2012.
  21. "Paraprofessional of the Year: Laura Poe from Athens-Limestone Public Library in Athens, Alabama". Library Journal. March 2013.
  22. "Paraprofessional of the Year: Clancy Pool from St. John Branch of Washington State's Whitman County Rural Library District". Library Journal. March 2014.
  23. "Paralibrarian of the Year 2015: Tamara Faulkner Kraus". Library Journal. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  24. "Past Winners". lj.libraryjournal.com. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  25. "Library of the Year: Columbus Metropolitan Library in Columbus, Ohio". Library Journal. May 2010.
  26. "Library of the Year: King County Library System in King County, Washington". Library Journal. May 2011.
  27. "San Diego County Library in San Diego, California". Library Journal. June 2012.
  28. "Howard County Library in Howard County, Maryland". Library Journal. June 2013.
  29. "Library of the Year: Edmonton Public Library, the first Canadian Library to win this award". June 2014.
  30. "2015 Gale/LJ Library of the Year: Ferguson Municipal Public Library, MO, Courage in Crisis". Library Journal. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  31. McMurtrie, John (June 6, 2018). "S.F. Public Library wins Library of the Year award". San Francisco Chronicle . Archived from the original on June 5, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  32. "LJ Teaching Award winner: Steven L. MacCall of the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa". Library Journal. November 2010.
  33. "LJ Teaching Award winner: Martin B. Wolske from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign". Library Journal. November 2011.
  34. "LJ Teaching Award winner: Lilia Pavlovsky from Rutgers University, New Jersey". Library Journal. November 2012.
  35. "LJ Teaching Award winner: Suzie Allard from University of Tennessee, Knoxville". Library Journal. November 2013.
  36. "Paul T. Jaeger". University of Maryland.
  37. "LJ Teaching Award winner: Paul T. Jaeger from University of Maryland". Library Journal. November 2014.
  38. "Patricia K. Galloway | LJ/ALISE Excellence in Teaching Award Winner 2015". Library Journal. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  39. Lance, Keith Curry. "The 2018 Stars | LJ Index 2018". Library Journal. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  40. 1 2 Lance, Keith Curry. "2018 Star Libraries By the Numbers | LJ Index 2018". Library Journal. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  41. "About". InfoDocket. Library Journal. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
  42. "JobZone". Library Journal.