Library Journal
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| Frequency | 20 per year |
|---|---|
| Founder | Frederick Leypoldt |
| Year founded | 1876 |
| Company | Media Source |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | New York City |
| Website | www |
| ISSN | 0363-0277 |
| OCLC number | 36096783 |
Library Journal is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey (familiar as the inventor of the Dewey decimal system). It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice. It also reviews library-related materials and equipment.
Its "Library Journal Book Review" does pre-publication reviews of several hundred popular and academic books each month.
Library Journal has the highest circulation of any librarianship journal, according to Ulrich's — approximately 100,000.
Library Journal's original publisher was Frederick Leypoldt, whose company became R. R. Bowker. Reed International (now Reed Business Information) purchased Bowker in 1985; they published Library Journal until 2010, when it was sold to Media Source, owner of the Junior Library Guild and The Horn Book Magazine.
Founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey, Library Journal originally declared itself to be the "official organ of the library associations of America and of the United Kingdom." Indeed, the journal's original title was American Library Journal, though "American" was removed from the title after the first year. Its early issues focused on the growth and development of libraries, with feature articles by such prominent authors as R. R. Bowker, Charles Cutter, and Melvil Dewey, and focusing on cataloging, indexing, and lending schemes. In its early issues, Bowker discussed cataloging principles; Cutter, creator of the Cutter Expansive Classification system, developed his ideas; and managing editor Dewey made recommendations for early library circulation systems. Initially, Library Journal did not review books unless they related to librarians' professional interests, but then, like now, the journal ran articles on collection development and ads from publishers recommending their forthcoming books for libraries to purchase.
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