# library administration

> oversight and management of libraries

**Wikidata**: [Q856623](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q856623)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_management)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/library-administration

## Summary
Library administration refers to the oversight and management of libraries. It encompasses the application of practices, methods, and tools from library science to ensure the organized collection and systematic classification of information. This field also involves learning about user needs and evaluating library support for these needs to improve facilities, services, and resources.

## Key Facts
- Library administration is defined as the oversight and management of libraries.
- It is a part of library science, library assessment, and library technical services.
- It is classified as a field of study.
- It is a subclass of both management and library science.
- It is practiced by library administrators.
- Aliases include library management, 図書館経営論, and 图书馆管理学.
- Its Dewey Decimal Classification is 025.
- It is related to OCLC, Inc., a global library cooperative founded in 1967.

## FAQs
### Q: What is library administration?
A: Library administration is the oversight and management of libraries, ensuring the organized collection and systematic classification of information while also evaluating and improving library services and resources based on user needs.

### Q: What fields is library administration a part of?
A: Library administration is considered a part of library science, library assessment, and library technical services. It is also classified as a subclass of both management and library science.

### Q: Who practices library administration?
A: Library administration is practiced by library administrators.

### Q: What are some alternative names for library administration?
A: Alternative names for library administration include library management, 図書館経営論, and 图书馆管理学.

### Q: What is the purpose of library administration?
A: The purpose of library administration is to provide strategic direction and operational control for libraries, ensuring that information is effectively acquired, organized, and made accessible, and that services continually adapt to meet the evolving needs of users.

## Why It Matters
Library administration is crucial for the effective functioning and evolution of libraries. By providing oversight and management, it ensures that libraries can systematically organize information, making it accessible to users. It integrates principles from library science, such as the application of practices and technologies, to maintain organized collections and classifications. Furthermore, it incorporates library assessment to understand and respond to user needs, leading to continuous improvement of facilities, services, and resources. Without robust library administration, the complex operations of acquiring, organizing, and preparing materials, as handled by library technical services, would lack coordination and strategic direction. Thus, it plays a pivotal role in enabling libraries to fulfill their mission as vital centers for information and learning, adapting to community demands and technological advancements. It ensures that the resources and services provided are relevant, efficient, and responsive to the communities they serve.

## Notable For
- Its foundational role in the effective operation and strategic direction of libraries.
- Its classification as a distinct field of study within broader academic disciplines.
- Its integration of principles from both general management and specialized library science.
- Its direct connection to practical library functions such as library assessment and library technical services.

## Body

### Definition
Library administration is defined as the oversight and management of libraries. This involves the application of practices, methods, technologies, and tools to the organized collection and systematic classification of information within libraries. It also encompasses learning about the needs of users (and non-users) and evaluating how well libraries support these needs, with the goal of improving library facilities, services, and resources.

### Classification and Relationships
Library administration is categorized as a field of study. It is a subclass of both management and library science.

It is considered a part of several related disciplines:
-   **Library science**: The application of practices, methods, technologies, tools of management, education, training, perspectives, and related areas, to the organized collection and the systematic classification of information in libraries.
-   **Library assessment**: Learning about the needs of users (and non-users) and evaluating how well libraries support these needs, in order to improve library facilities, services and resources.
-   **Library technical services**: The acquisition, organization, and preparation of library materials for use.

The practice of library administration is carried out by a **library administrator**.

### Associated Practices and Organizations
Library administration is related to **OCLC, Inc.**, a global library cooperative. OCLC, Inc. was founded on July 5 or 6, 1967, in the United States, with its headquarters in Dublin, Ohio. Its industry includes libraries, archives, museums, other cultural activities, and information technology.

### Identifiers and Aliases
Library administration is known by several aliases and is cataloged across various classification systems:

#### Aliases
-   library management
-   図書館経営論
-   图书馆管理学

#### Classification Systems and Identifiers
-   **Dewey Decimal Classification**: 025
-   **GND ID**: 4132641-6
-   **FAST ID**: 997606
-   **UMLS CUI**: C0023627
-   **Freebase ID**: /m/04nzm
-   **NL CR Aut ID**: ph136926 (management knihoven), ph222840 (management knihovnictví)
-   **Mesh Tree Code**: L01.583.363 (under library science)
-   **Zhihu Topic ID**: 19876606 (图书馆管理)
-   **Yale LUX ID**: concept/a6152c7e-fffd-475a-a0e8-5f90d6e6c655
-   **Wikipedia Title**: Library management
-   **Mesh Descriptor ID**: D007995 (Library Administration)
-   **UNBIS Thesaurus ID**: 1003714
-   **Basisklassifikation**: 06.50
-   **UNESCO Thesaurus ID**: concept470, concept12454
-   **Colon Classification**: 2:8 (CC 6)
-   **ScienceDirect Topic ID**: computer-science/library-administration
-   **JSTOR Topic ID (archived)**: library-management
-   **National Library of Latvia ID**: 000049745
-   **Library of Congress Authority ID**: sh85076655
-   **National Library of Israel J9U ID**: 987007565559305171
-   **Bibliothèque nationale de France ID**: 119655220
-   **Microsoft Academic ID (discontinued)**: 2775918691
-   **Dimitri and Aliki Perrotis Central Library ID**: 15068
-   **American Folklore Society Ethnographic Thesaurus ID**: afset010499 (library administration, library administrator, library administrators)

### Described By
Library administration is described in sources such as The Encyclopedia Americana (1920) under the entry "Library Administration."

## References

1. [Source](https://github.com/JohnMarkOckerbloom/ftl/blob/master/data/wikimap)
2. [Source](https://meshb.nlm.nih.gov/record/ui?ui=D007995)
3. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
4. UMLS 2023
5. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File
6. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)