Documentation, Informaiton & Knowledge ›› 2024, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (3): 49-59.doi: 10.13366/j.dik.2024.03.049

• Library, Document & Communication • Previous Articles     Next Articles

The Thematic Distribution Features and Implications of Academic Research Conducted by Teachers Group of Boone Library School

SI Li, LIU Yao, LIU Xianrui, PENG Minhui   

  1. School of Information Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072
  • Online:2024-05-10 Published:2024-07-04
  • Contact: Correspondence should be addressed to SI Li, Email: lsiwhu@163.com, ORCID: 0000-0003-1028-8338
  • Supported by:
    This is an outcome of the Major Project "A Study on the Centennial History of Library Science Education in China and Its Cultural Influence"(17ZDA295)supported by National Social Science Foundation of China.

Abstract: [Purpose/Significance] As the representatives of the first generation of librarian scholars, the group of teachers of Boone Library School plays a milestone role in the history of librarian science development in China. It is of great significance to sort out their academic research results for China's library science development in the new era. [Design/Methodology] Using literature research and content analysis methods, this paper identified all teachers who have served in Boone Library School during the past 33 years (1920-1953), retrieved their published academic papers, and conducted content analysis to pinpoint high-frequency topics, reveal in-depth the trend of academic outputs and the distribution of research themes. [Findings/Conclusion] The academic output of the teachers of the Boone Library School can be divided into three stages: the initial accumulation stage(1920-1928), the steady development stage(1929-1937)and the maintenance stage(1938-1953); the research covers 8 aspects, including library management, cataloging, collection development, various types of libraries, library services, Chinese librarianship, library science education and the development of libraries worldwide; A total of 52.5% of the research papers were published in the three journals: "Boone Library School Quarterly", "Buletin of the Library Association of China", and "Library Science Quarterly". Their enlightenment to contemporary library science research is to serve real needs and reflecting its own value, achieve positive interaction based on social practice, and integrate western experience to achieve local development. [Originality/Value] The paper systematically examines and explores the academic research of Boone Library School from the perspective of the teachers group as a whole, presenting its hotspots ,development status, and analyzing the discourse system of academic research at that time from a historical viewpoint.

Key words: Boone Library School, Research theme, Content analysis