To Honor Our Past: Historical Research, Library History and the Historiographical Imperative: Conceptual Reflections and Exploratory Observations

This exploratory discussion considers history of libraries, in its broadest context; moreover, it frames the entire enterprise of pursuing history as it relates to LIS in the context of doing history and of doing history vis-à-vis LIS. Is it valuable intellectually for LIS professionals to consider their own history, writing historically oriented research, and what is the nature of this research within the professionalization of LIS itself as both practice and discipline? Necessarily conceptual and offering theoretical insight, this discussion perforce tenders the idea that historiographical innovations and other disciplinary approaches and perspectives can invigorate library history beyond its current condition. This discussion, exploratory at best, and informed by conditions attendant in Anglo-American institutional memory, offers observations, albeit cursory, yet, proffers salient insight and possible suggestions from other institutional venues

Buy, Don\u27t Borrow: Bibliographers\u27 Analysis of Academic Library Collection Development through Interlibrary Loan Requests

In 2000, the Purdue University Libraries implemented a Books On Demand program. Instead of borrowing books requested through Interlibrary Loan, staff purchased selected titles and added them to the collection after patron use. After two years, five subject bibliographers analyzed 800 titles acquired through the program in their subject areas and compared them with titles acquired during the same time period through normal selection. The bibliographers concluded that the patron-driven Books On Demand program is a valuable complementary collection development tool. It consistently adds a very high percentage of relevant scholarly titles to the collection which provides input from patrons who do not ordinarily have a voice in collection development decision and fills in gaps in interdisciplinary area