Mapping scientific profile and knowledge diffusion of Library Hi Tech

Abstract

PurposeLibrary Hi Tech is one of the most influential journals that publish leading research in library and information science (LIS). The present study aims to understand the scholarly communication in Library Hi Tech by profiling its historic footprint, emerging trends and knowledge diffusion.Design/methodology/approachA total of 3,131 bibliographic records between 1995 and 2018 were collected from the Web of Science. Text mining, graph analysis and data visualization were used to analyze subject category assignment, domain-level citation trends, co-occurrence of keywords, keyword bursts, networks of document co-citation and landmark articles.FindingsFindings indicated that published research in the journal was largely influenced by the psychology, education and social domain as a unidisciplinary discipline. Knowledge of the journal has been disseminated into multiple domains such as LIS, computer science and education. Dominant thematic concentrations were also identified: (1) library services in academic libraries and related to digital libraries, (2) adoption of new information technologies and (3) information-seeking behavior in these contexts. Additionally, the journal has exhibited an increased research emphasis on mixed-method user-centered studies and investigations into libraries' use of new media.Originality/valueThis study provides a promising approach to understand scientific trends and the intellectual growth of journals. It also helps Library Hi Tech to become more self-explanatory with a detailed bibliometric profile and to identify future directions in editorship and readership. Finally, researchers in the community can better position their studies within the emerging trends and current challenges of the journal.