The Portable MLIS: Insights from the Experts

by Ken Haycock (Editor), Brooke E. Sheldon (Editor)

Experts in several fields of library and information science have provided introductions to their areas of expertise. This foundation to the profession covers the competencies needed by professional librarians and can serve as both introduction to the new student and an update to the veteran. Typically, interested laypeople and students are introduced to the knowledge, skills, and abilities of professional librarians piecemeal or through introductory or core courses. Unlike other fields (e.g., business administration, management), there is no published broad overview of the profession. Almost peculiarly, the basic foundation course in LIS education is about information in context, or libraries and their mission, but not about the competencies of professional librarians as a foundation for future courses. This book fills that gap, whether as an introduction to the profession or as a response to the question What does a librarian do? Here, experts in several fields of library and information science provide introductions to their areas of expertise, covering the competencies needed by professional librarians. Accessible and comprehensive, The Portable MLIS can serve as both an introduction for the new student and an update for the veteran.

Genres: Nonfiction, Library Science, Librarianship, Reference, School, Textbooks, Professional Development

296 pages, Paperback

First published July 30, 2008

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has been quite helpful for me while creating my ePortfolio at San Jose State. I do want to note that I am certain this was a 5 star resource when it was published about five years ago. It still was helpful in getting me to think about how to structure some of my essays for this final project. It was a good refresher as well, but I found myself using subject specific text books, papers from LIS literature, and Rubin's Foundations of Library and Information Sciencea lot more when it came time to actually write things up and cite material.

The downside is that the material has already become dated in some cases, the competencies used by San Jose have changed a bit since this book came out, and I think they should be a little more stringent with contributors having the evidence to back up some of their claims. I do think it is still worth a look, BUT try to buy a used copy, borrow a copy, get a copy through ILL, or at your local library. It is really not work buying it new at this point.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the book overall, good overview of the field . . . hated a few of the articles though - esp. Garon's near the begining. He totally weakened his argument for unbiased access to information by lacing his own essay full of his own bias and prejudice.

[Nicole Mardian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting and gives an amazing overview of where libraries throughout the millenia have come from (yes, there were libraries thousands of years ago!) and where they're going.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very useful and practical information - However this book is out-dated and could use an update! I used this book a lot while completing my ePortfolio for my MLIS.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A goldmine of information.

[Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually liked this textbook.

It was written as a series of essays by different people in the field, so it actually stayed pretty interesting. It was a pretty good introduction to library science and what the field is all about.

I will note that the chapter that focused on S.R. Ranganathan's 5 Laws of Library Science got some stuff wrong based on every single other source I have checked. Basically they list the second law as "Books are for all." (p xvi) whereas every other source I have ever seen lists the second law as "Every reader its book." Not sure what that's all about, but just a word of warning if you're thinking of using that essay as a reference in a paper or something. There were no sources listed for that essay (weird also) so I couldn't check to see if maybe there actually are other places where the second law is listed as such.

I think this is just a fluke, though, as, from what I could tell (and it's not like I fact-checked every detail) it seems fairly accurate and I would not discount it as a source because of that, I just felt it was worth mentioning.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Portable MLIS edited by Ken Haycock and Brooke Sheldon was the main textbook for my Information and Society course. It is a collection of essays on different aspects of librarianship and policies and laws that affect libraries and librarians.

Each week we had to read an essay or two and post an answer to a question posed by our professor. Later in the week we would then have to respond to two other posts by fellow students. All of that extra writing and thinking about that book has left me feeling split-brained between enjoyment and exhaustion.

Let me explain. The individual essays are by themselves academic papers full of tips, insights, research and generally useful stuff. But the constant need to analyze the essays and respond to others' analyses has left me burned out. I need to let the book sit on my shelf of textbooks until I am ready to re-read the most interesting essays without the stress of a grade hanging over my head.

[viktoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

While researching for my (hopefully) last semester in grad school, I grabbed this book, largely because it was available at the library where I work. I wasn't expecting much because of the date, but I was really impressed with how relevant it was for the most part. If your program's as nuts about competences as mine is, it will come in handy. I ended up with nine good pages of notes, and a few resources I hadn't heard of before. Not bad for a six year old book!

tl;dr: I wouldn't necessarily buy it at full price, but it's worth borrowing or buying it used or on sale, especially if you're looking for librarian competences on a broad scale.

[Rino Landa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to the study of library and information science (LIS).

The selected articles are very clear and easy to understand (just what you want for an intro. textbook); with just enough examples to flesh out the theories and arguments central to LIS.

However, the article's clarity sacrifices some of the detailed information and that you find in LIS academic research - as well as what is found in more subject-specific texts.

Luckily, each article includes extensive citations and suggested readings to direct interested readers to more substantial readings.

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's... all right, I suppose. As a basic introduction to the world of library and information science, it's not bad. At the same time, I can't help but feel that most of this is material that a new MLIS student (the presumed target audience) should already know going into their degree, either through trying to find out about their chosen career, or just in terms of living in the world in general.

Anyway, it's not bad, but it was hardly riveting reading material either. Ultimately, not a textbook that I'll keep for future reference.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Done with my first MLIS class- 11 to go!! This was an easy text book to read, filled with essays written by many different authors about varied issues in libraries such as ethics, advisory services, marketing and management. Some of the information was dated (copyright 2008) with limited information on newer technology. My professor said this would be the last year he was going to use this book.

[Loryn]

This is a really interesting collection of works if you are into libraries and what school entails.

There were a lot of interesting stories that people told, but I probably never would have picked this up if it weren't for school.

It's a good source for library students, I highly recommend it.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good refresher for MLIS classes, and a brief introduction to the MLIS classes I didn't get a chance to take - probably best for those considering the MLIS program than for recent grads; and in terms of a monetary evaluation: I'm glad that I checked this one out at the library, and if I had bought it my rating would be lower.

[edh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty solid overview for those unfamiliar with the field. LIS theory and reasoning is laid out in basic terms. Give this one to newbies, those just starting library school, and school administrators as a way to start getting up to speed on the ins and outs of library service.

[Juliana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another pesky textbook for a library science course, this one entitled Information and Society. It reads a bit better as each chapter is written by a new author. However, I doubt the average reader would get much value out of this book.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, of the two books I read for my first class, this one was my least favorite. But assigned readings are rarely fun, and this wasn't an exception.

But it's just an intro class. Maybe our instructor just needs a more dynamic approach to the text?

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

While finishing my MLIS (i.e., completing competency essays for the portfolio), this collection of writings on librarianship was invaluable. I loved too that I purchased it and then it was downloaded immediately to my Kindle.

[Seth Arnopole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very helpful to me when writing my competency statements for my e-portfolio. I recommend it as a useful resource for MLIS students.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really basic stuff.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book we should have had in the library foundations class. Clear, concise, no mind games information about what you need to know about LIS for a new student.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is for writing my e-portfolio this Fall.

[{erika} · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gave a nice overview of the field and complimented my other text. Had to do a lengthy book review on it but it was a good choice of material. Very good introduction.

[Liz De Coster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Covers a broad range of topics, but at a pretty shallow level. Recommended for readers interested in considering library school or librarianship.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one textbook that I didn't mind reading. The essays are written by librarians, and hold valuable information.

[Silvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for new MLIS students!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good general overview of the profession primarily for those working in public libraries.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview for those entering the MLIS students.

[Amy!]

This book was 100% essential to me completely my Master's degree. I referenced it in at least 12 of my 14 competency statements, and it was really helpful in finding an angle for writing.

[SHAKIR ULLAH]

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[Benjamin Fasching-Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for the intro course and I am nearly finished with the whole program now and this is still the best textbook I have read for it.