O n l i n e . L e a r n i n g . S u p p o r t
Department of Information and Library Science
Southern Connecticut State University
501 Crescent Street, New Haven, CT 06515
Fax: 1.203.392-5780 / Phone: 1.203.392-5781
Toll Free: 1-888-500-SCSU, then press 4

BACKGROUND NOTES

A PARADIGM OR UNIFYING PRINCIPLE FOR LIS

Bierbaum (1990, p. 18) argues that LIS needs a unifying principle or paradigm to guide research and applications of professional practice. Having such a paradigm would help us "ask the right quesitons," summarize "truths," and unite research and practice. Her candidate principle is the Principle of Least Effort, as formulated by Zipf (1949). The principle of least effort "governs the use made of libraries and other sources of information and is, in fact, a major determinant of their use." Furthermore, this principle should be "taken into account in planning of library buildings, in the allocation of storage space, and, perhaps most importantly, in the planing of new and innovative services" (Lancaster, 1977, p. 319).

References:

Bierbaum, E. G. (1990). A paradigm for the '90's. American Libraries, 21 (January 1990), 18-19.

Hernon, P. (1991). The elusive nature of research in LIS. In C. R. McClure & P. Hernon (Eds.), Library and information science research: Perspectives and strategies for improvement, pp. 3-14. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

Lancaster, F. W. (1977). The measurement and evaluation of library services. Washington, D. C.: Information Resources Press.

Zipf, G. (1949).Human behavior and the principle of least effort. Cambridge, MA: Addision-Wesley Press.

FINAL EXAM QUESTION

Devise a study to test Lancaster's assertions. Give your study a title; introduce your study with 1-2 sentences of background; state the question you would like the research to answer; give a brief description of the methodology to be used; describe how you would go about analyzing the data. The goal is two fold: 1) to succinctly show off what you have learned; and 2) to demonstrate scholarly writing potential. Email your exam to Dr. Brown.