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Purpose: This paper seeks to clarify the research trend of library and information science (US) in Japan from 1970 to 2009. Methods: Of all the articles published from 1970 to 2009 in Library and Information Science and Journal of Japan Society of Library and Information Science, 826 research articles were examined. For each article, (1) authors, (2) topics, (3) research methods, and (4) the use of theories were analyzed. For (1), the number of authors of each article and the first author's affiliation and occupation were examined. Topics were classified into 14 US topics and these topics were further classified into "library science" and "information science". Empirical research methods were further divided into "data collection method" and "data analysis method". The number of research articles and the transition of the number of pages were also investigated. Results: Our findings indicate that in the US field over the last 40 years in Japan, (1) the number of authors whose affiliation is "university" has increased, (2) the number of "information science" articles has gradually decreased, and the majority of articles are now about "library science", and (3) the proportion of empirical research methods has increased. There were no major changes or distinctive trends in the topics discussed by articles. Due to the adoption of a strict peer-review system in both journals, the number of research articles decreased from the 1990s to 2000s; however, the number of articles has increased in recent years due to the increase in the number of graduate students and the enhancement of research grants in the US field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to examine the prospects for library services actively adopting the trend of administrative reform. Initially the paper takes a general view of the argument concerning "Decentralization" at the national level and "New Public Management" at the regional level in order to clarify the existence of a citizens' sector as one of the principal points at issue in both reforms. The second section gives an account of the fact that in administrative reforms after 1990s citizens are regarded not only as beneficiaries of public services, but also as suppliers. This section also explains the concept of "Governance" which explains the aforementioned fact. Where the concept of "Governance" was applied to provision of public service, various social actors including citizens' sector would be placed on an equal footing with administrations when providing public services. In conclusion, the author advocates that to apply the concept of "Governance" as one of the best options for thinking about the provision of library services, under a framework which regards the directionality of administrative reform as "from Government to Governance." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]