Comparative Analysis of Professional Journals

For this comparative analysis, I decided to look at Archives, the journal of the British Records Association, and the Journal of Library Administration.  I chose Archives because I feel that archival administration is the field of the information sciences I am least familiar with, and wanted to gain a better understanding of this field.  I chose the Journal of Library Administration because I felt that it would help me gain a better understanding of my chosen specialization of public libraries (while providing a broad perspective on libraries in general).

                Archives is a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal aimed primarily at an academic audience.  According to the Ulrich’s Web Directory, the journal publishes material related to British history and records.  The journal is meant to serve academics and others interested in research in archives.  Publishing began in 1949 and the journal is published semi-annually.  This journal isn’t necessarily one that I would need to access on a regular basis for my own studies, but is a useful tool for finding out more about archives. 

                The Journal of Library Administration has been published since 1980 and is published eight times per year, according to Ulrich’s Web Directory.  The journal is published by Routledge and is peer-reviewed.  Material published is aimed at individuals working in libraries.  This journal is one that I could personally see being very useful in my own career.  It covers a broad range of the LIS field, and many of the articles are very applicable to someone working in a public library. 

                Academic journals, whether peer-reviewed or not, are a wealth of information for the LIS student and LIS professional and anyone planning on having a career in the field should certainly be familiar with the variety of journals that is available.  In my limited experience and research thus far, I have been surprised at the sheer amount of information and articles available.  I look forward to subscribing to several journals myself in order to learn more about issues relevant to the LIS field.