Subject and Historiographic Characteristics of Library History: Disciplinary Considerations and Scholarship

Library history per se has evolved from a highly specialized scholarly endeavour to a field open to a wider range of subjects and orientations. This discussion examines the library history bibliographies officially compiled for the American Library Association's Library History Round Table, the official and professional association for the history of libraries. The bibliographies for the years 2005 to 2009 were examined for type of publication and subject orientation and examined visually for content. The recent state of library history is discussed in terms of disciplinary orientations and methodological perspectives as well as to ascertain various intellectual vectors that library history is exhibiting. Far from being a narrowly conceived interest, it has embraced subjects that transcend library history, including the history of reading, publishing, intellectual life, and other phenomena affecting libraries as institutions and as sites of intellectual, cultural, and societal exchange.