Genres of Library Service: Economics, Ideology, Technology, etc.
Each library is unique, of course, but there are different types and, historically, there have been large differences between countries, as well as major changes over time. Historical studies have suggested some causal influences but not their relative importance. International comparative studies, popular in the 1970s and 1980s were heavily descriptive with little explanatory analysis. I will review issues that seem to me important for the interpretation and explanation of differences.
Michael Buckland is emeritus professor in the School of Information and co-director of the Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative. He grew up in England and studied history at Oxford and librarianship at Sheffield University. He trained at the Bodleian Library in Oxford and moved to the University of Lancaster Library in 1965. In 1972, Buckland moved to the United States to be Assistant Director of Libraries for Technical Services at Purdue University Libraries before becoming Dean of the School of Library and Information Studies at Berkeley from 1976 to 1984. He served from 1983 to 1987 as Assistant Vice President for Library Plans and Policies for the nine campuses of the University of California. Professor Buckland's interests include bibliography, library services, search and discovery, cultural heritage, and the history and theory of documentation.
