Rubin & Rubin’s updated LIS text

CHICAGO — Richard E. Rubin’s “Foundations of Library and Information Science” has served as the authoritative introductory text for generations of library and information science practitioners, with each new edition taking in its stride the myriad societal, technological, political, and economic changes affecting our users and institutions and transforming our discipline. Rubin teams up with his daughter, Rachel G. Rubin, a rising star in the library field in her own right, for the fifth edition, published by ALA Neal-Schuman. Spanning all types of libraries, from public to academic, school, and special, it illuminates the major facets of LIS for students as well as current professionals. Continuing its tradition of excellence, this text addresses:

• the history and mission of libraries from past to present, including the history of service to African Americans;
• critical contemporary social issues such as services to marginalized communities, tribal libraries, and immigrants;
• the rise of e-government and the crucial role of political advocacy;
• digital devices, social networking, digital publishing, e-books, virtual reality, and other technology;
• forces shaping the future of libraries, including Future Ready libraries, and sustainability as a core value of librarianship;
• the values and ethics of the profession, with new coverage of civic engagement, combating fake news, the importance of social justice, and the role of critical librarianship;
• knowledge infrastructure and organization, including Resource Description and Access (RDA), linked data, and the Library Research Model;
• the significance of the digital divide and policy issues related to broadband access and net neutrality;
• intellectual freedom, legal issues, and copyright-related topics;
• contemporary issues in LIS education such as the ongoing tensions between information science and library science; and
• the changing character of collections and services including the role of digital libraries, preservation, and the digital humanities.

Richard E. Rubin served as director of the School of Library and Information Science at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, from 1999 to 2010 and subsequently became associate provost for extended (online) education at KSU until his retirement in 2013. He previously served as a librarian and personnel director at the Akron-Summit County Public Library in Akron, Ohio. He has spoken and presented at workshops throughout the United States and has been active in professional associations on the national and state levels, including serving as a member and chair of ALA’s Committee on Accreditation. He is the author of numerous publications, including “Human Resources Management in Libraries: Theory and Practice” and “Hiring Library Employees,” and his articles have appeared in such journals as Library Quarterly and Library and Information Science Research. Rachel G. Rubin is the associate university librarian for research and learning at the University of Pittsburgh. Previously she was the director of the Capital University Library and the Bexley Public Library. She is an active member of ALA, having served as a Councilor-at-Large and a member of a variety of ALA and APA committees, including the Resolutions Committee and the Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship. She speaks nationally on topics such as management, leadership, and healthy organizational cultures.

Examination copies in print format remain available for instructors who are interested in adopting titles for course use. Instructors may also contact us at editionsmarketing@ala.org for a PDF of this and other titles for instructor use.

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