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Topic · Library and Information Sciences

Library Science and Information Literacy

Library Science and Information Literacy is a research topic within Library and Information Sciences. Science Explorer counts 18k research works in it since 1950. 25.1% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers explores the concepts and practices of information literacy, digital literacy, and library instruction in the context of higher education. It delves into topics such as information behavior of different generations, critical thinking skills, user-centered design of academic libraries, and the impact of digital technologies on research and learning. The papers also discuss the evolving role of academic librarians, assessment of information literacy skills, and the challenges and opportunities for integrating information literacy into the curriculum.

  • Information Literacy
  • Digital Literacy
  • Academic Libraries
  • Information Behavior
  • Library Instruction
  • Generation Y
  • Critical Thinking
  • Online Research
  • User-Centered Design
  • Educational Change
Research works
18k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
4.4k
per year above
Top-10% rate
25.1%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
-7%
the tick is no change

Which countries lead Library Science and Information Literacy research?

By volume, the United States and Nigeria publish the most (608 and 255 works in 2022–2025).

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 United States 608 works
  2. 2 Nigeria 255 works
  3. 3 India 220 works
  4. 4 Ghana 92 works
  5. 5 Canada 65 works
  6. 6 Indonesia 62 works
  7. 7 Australia 45 works
  8. 8 United Kingdom 44 works
  9. 9 Pakistan 41 works
  10. 10 China 34 works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

United States: 41.4%Nigeria: 17.4%India: 15.0%Ghana: 6.2%6 others listed: 19.9%41%largest
United States608 · 41.4%Nigeria255 · 17.4%India220 · 15.0%Ghana92 · 6.2%6 others listed292 · 19.9%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Library Science and Information Literacy research?

By volume in 2022–2025, African Library and Information Associations and Institutions publishes the most Library Science and Information Literacy research, followed by Delta State University and Charles Sturt University.

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 African Library and Information Associations and InstitutionsGhana 71 works
  2. 2 Delta State UniversityNigeria 15 works
  3. 3 Charles Sturt UniversityAustralia 12 works
  4. 4 Association of Research LibrariesUnited States 12 works
  5. 5 University of South AfricaSouth Africa 11 works
  6. 6 University at Buffalo, State University of New YorkUnited States 11 works
  7. 7 Tai Solarin University of EducationNigeria 10 works
  8. 8 G.S. Science, Arts And Commerce CollegeIndia 10 works
  9. 9 Babcock UniversityNigeria 9 works
  10. 10 University of CalabarNigeria 9 works

Who are the leading researchers in Library Science and Information Literacy?

The most-cited researchers publishing on Library Science and Information Literacy include Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie.

  1. 1 Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie United States 2.6k citations

Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.

Where is Library Science and Information Literacy research done?

The largest centres of Library Science and Information Literacy research in 2022–2025 are Accra (Ghana), Ibadan (Nigeria), Washington D.C. (United States) and Port Harcourt (Nigeria). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Accra and Ibadan.

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Accra Ghana 80 works
  2. 2 Ibadan Nigeria 23 works
  3. 3 Washington D.C. United States 19 works
  4. 4 Port Harcourt Nigeria 16 works
  5. 5 New York United States 16 works
  6. 6 Chicago United States 16 works
  7. 7 Abraka Nigeria 15 works
  8. 8 Nairobi Kenya 14 works
  9. 9 Pretoria South Africa 14 works
  10. 10 London United Kingdom 14 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. AccraGH · 80.4 works83×
  2. IbadanNG · 23.2 works27×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Library Science and Information Literacy than the world average.

See Library Science and Information Literacy on the map

Where is the best place to study Library Science and Information Literacy?

Among universities, judged by research, Charles Sturt University, University of South Africa and University at Buffalo, State University of New York score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%mean 17.14%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →Charles Sturt University: 12, 41.2%University of South Africa: 11, 29.9%University at Buffalo, State University of New York: 11, 22.8%Delta State University: 15, 21.9%Federal College of Education, Kano: 9, 5.2%Babcock University: 9, 16.6%Tai Solarin University of Education: 10, 6.7%Rivers State University: 8, 12.5%G.S. Science, Arts And Commerce College: 10, 7.0%The Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti: 8, 7.6%Charles Sturt Univer…University of South …University at Buffal…Delta State University
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1 Charles Sturt UniversityAustralia 66.541.2%50.2×12 -18.8%
2 University of South AfricaSouth Africa 58.729.9%14.0×11 +25.1%
3 University at Buffalo, State University of New YorkUnited States 56.222.8%15.2×11 +74.1%
4 Delta State UniversityNigeria 50.321.9%65.4×15 -22.4%
5 Federal College of Education, KanoNigeria 47.35.2%46.0×9 +283.3%
6 Babcock UniversityNigeria 43.116.6%66.8×9 0.0%
7 Tai Solarin University of EducationNigeria 42.56.7%309.9×10 —
8 Rivers State UniversityNigeria 42.112.5%26.9×8 —
9 G.S. Science, Arts And Commerce CollegeIndia 40.27.0%30.1×10 —
10 The Federal Polytechnic, Ado-EkitiNigeria 38.77.6%36.2×8 +47.8%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Library Science and Information Literacy research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 7% lower than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2013. The fastest-growing topics are Library Science and Information Literacy.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.