RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY AND PUBLICATION OUTPUT - AN INTERDISCIPLINARY ANALYSIS

Although research productivity of librarians has been investigated for several decades, some fundamental problems of measurement and analysis have endured. This paper compares productivity patterns in library science with those in other fields and explains why such plausible factors as intellectual trails, educational experience, institutional support, and available time are not useful for understanding variation in scholarly output. The final part of the paper presents an overview of findings, examines certain myths that have dominated discussions in the library field, and suggests a different approach for future research.