This is where I post draft chapters of my book on international and comparative librarianship. Watch this space (but don’t hold your breath…)
Chapters posted to date
- Front matter: Title page, preface and synopsis (draft version 2010-09-04) Synopsis is out of date and must be revised.
- Chapter 1 2012-01-31 Setting the scene (draft version no. 4, 2012-01-31)
- Chapter 2 2012-02-06: Definitions, scope and dimensions (draft version no. 3, 2012-02-06)
- Chapter 3: Preparing for research: metatheoretical considerations (draft version 2011-04-15)
- Chapter 4: Methodology in comparative studies (draft version 2011-04-20)
- Chapter 5: Method: procedures, techniques, instruments (draft version 2011-04-21)
Chapter 2: corrected version posted
I’ve posted the 3rd version of Chapter 2, dated 2012-02-06. It contains some relatively minor corrections and a few modest additions
Chapter 1 revised, two more in pipeline
I’ve posted the 4th version of Chapter 1, dated 2012-01-31. It contains some relatively minor corrections and a few modest additions. My paper versions of chapters 2 to 5 are heavily annotated. I’ll add updated versions from time to time.
I’m working on Chapter 6, ‘International influence and diffusion of ideas in LIS’, and Chapter 7, ‘Library development aid’. Progress is slow due to many distractions, and I’m reading widely, in cultural anthropology and the various literatures on diffusion of innovations — Rogers, of course, but many other disciplines are interested in ‘policy borrowing’ and the like. Fascinating stuff, but we in LIS have not made much use of it yet. (Please prove me wrong!)
Chapters 4 and 5 added
See above.
Chapter 3 added
Further cell division has taken place. My planned methodology chapter has become three. Chapter 3, now posted, deals with metatheory. Chapter 4 deals with methodology, and Chapter 5 with method in the more limited sense of procedures and techniques. Chapters 4 and 5 are in an advanced stage and I hope to post them soon.
I’ve experimented a bit with the presentation, using a landscape format and two columns per page, my theory being that 99% of all computer screens are in landscape format and that this allows you to use the full width of the screen and read a page at at a time without having to keep scrolling up and down. I’ve used 11pt Perpetua, which (I think) gives a legible printout. Comments and advice on this will be appreciated.
More important, however, is comment on the substance of the chapter. I look forward to comments and suggestions. In particular, I would welcome suggestions on more illustrative examples from the literature of comparative librarianship.
Chapter 2 added
Chapters 1 and 2 have morphed into chapters 1, 2 and 3. I’ve posted chapter 2 as well as a revised version of chapter 1. The synopsis has also been updated, so I have posted a new version of the front matter. I’m working on chapter 3.
First installments
At long last I’ve posted the first installments of the book, which I have provisionally entitled International and comparative librarianship: a thematic approach. I’m making it available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported license.
This license means that you are welcome to download this work and share it with others as long as you mention me and link back to me, but you can’t change the work in any way or use it commercially.
Click here for the title page, preface and synopsis, and here: Chapter 1 2012-01-31 for Chapter 1.
I look forward to comments.
