bibliotheekkunde

Bibliotheekkunde, often rendered in German as Bibliothekswissenschaft, is the scholarly discipline that studies libraries, information resources, and the organization and provision of library services. It covers the creation, description, preservation, and access to information in various formats, from printed volumes to digital resources, with attention to user needs and inclusion.

The field combines theory and practice and intersects with information science, museology, and computer science. Core activities include collection development and management, cataloging and indexing, classification, metadata creation, information retrieval system design, digital libraries, and preservation and access policies. It also addresses library management, budgeting, staff organization, and the planning of user education and reference services.

Historically, bibliotheekkunde emerged from the professionalization of librarianship in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with advances in cataloging and classification. The rise of information technology in the late 20th century brought information retrieval, database management, and digital curation into the discipline, broadening its scope to include electronic resources and digital libraries.

Education and profession vary by country, but in German-speaking regions bibliotheekkunde is taught within library and information science programs at universities and professional schools. Graduates work as librarians, information specialists, archivists, or in digital resource management. Research areas encompass metadata models, user studies, library analytics, and governance of digital infrastructures. Standards and frameworks used include classification systems (DDC, UDC) and bibliographic metadata standards (MARC, Dublin Core, FRBR, RDA). Contemporary focus areas include open access, linked data, semantic web, and information literacy.