Article Topics of Interest

The journal’s board of advisory editors has identified these broad topics to be explored in future articles or special issues ― all to be developed within the context of the history of the information domain.  This list of suggested topics is not comprehensive; you are invited to e-mail the editor to discuss other article ideas.  

History of Libraries/Archives/Museums

• The shared histories of and relationships over time between libraries, archives, and museums and their related professions.
• Users of libraries, archives, museums, and information technology over time.  The response of those professions to users’ needs. 
• Libraries/archives/museums as agents of or obstacles to social change
• Libraries/archives/museums as “soft targets”—easily changed or even subverted—in pursuit of government goals
• Libraries/archives/museums as symbol
• Changes through time in museum philosophy, policies, archives, and display.
• Library/museum architecture and aesthetics
• Cultural and social impact of philanthropic institutions on libraries, archives, and museums
• Comparative studies in the history of libraries, archives, museums and information science in multiple countries.

 History of Collections

• The selection process. Who have been the decision-makers on what to collect/preserve in building library, archival, or museum collections over time?  In broad cultural terms, how have they shaped the collections?

History of Documentary Preservation

• The history of extending the life of information through conservation of book and paper and/or preservation of sound, image, and information in electronic form.

History of LIS Education

• The history of university programs in the field of information studies, ranging from library science schools to business school programs to computer science departments.
• The divergence and union of the disciplines of museology, archival studies, and library science.

History of Information

• How scholars have used information in the past.
• How government, the military, and corporations have used information and/or funded information research and technology. 
• The impact of private foundations and government agencies on the information field worldwide, especially in developing countries. The role of international organizations concerned with information, such as UNESCO.
• How labor organizations and the working class have used information.
• The Library of Congress as a pioneer in the adoption of information technology, such as microfilming and automation.
• Similarities and differences among the great schemes of the past for organizing/using/managing information, e.g. the documentation of Paul Otlet.
• The intellectual history of information science.  How have ideas been passed along?
• The history of transitions in information technology in relation to the wider culture.