Visibility of Library and Information Science and Science Communication in Iran

Abstract

This study examines how newspapers in Iran have presented library and information science (LIS) to society; how the media understand library and information science as a discipline; and how authors of articles in LIS journals collaborate with members of other disciplines. Three public newspapers (Hamshahri, Iran, and Jam-e-Jam) together with eleven peer-reviewed LIS journals approved by the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology were included in this study. The results show that LIS as a discipline is not visible enough in Iranian public media. However, recognition and understanding of LIS in specialized journals is better. We concluded that the communication between LIS professionals and journalists is less than optimal in Iran. The paper provided original information about the picture of library and information science in Iranian society.

Keywords

• library and information science
• media visibility
• science communication
• iran