I would like to discuss are American Libraries and The Journal of Southern History. American Libraries is one the top library media education magazines in the United States. It is the powerful news source and is providing most recent information about library media. American Libraries is independently owned and therefore free from the subjective influences from other parties like government. It is a clear leader in providing library media education information service tips.
The American Library Association publishes American Libraries monthly except bimonthly June/July. At the moment, this is one of the most popular and successful educational magazines in the nation, with a circulation of 64000 copies. Not only individuals subscribe for this journal but organizations as well. American Libraries is also available to libraries and other institutions by paid subscription. It was founded in 1985, and is a cross-disciplinary journal featuring news, interviews, and other scholarly studies of library media and education, information services, and a variety of other topics. At the moment, this is one of the most popular and successful LME publications in the nation, with a large number of readers for the journal of this type.
Every publication includes statements of official ALA positions on any matters. However the article authors are free to analyze and interpret such matters as his or her judgment dictates. It is very illustrative in terms of pictures and photographs of events. The style of writing is very direct and objective, while reading it you usually get a complete freedom choosing your side – who to sympathize. Therefore, if I were looking for a good source of information, American Libraries would be the one I would go for. I can be sure that the journal content was not influenced and proofreaded to benefit any association or organization. The articles of the journal are well structured and always include an abstract, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion, bibliography and/or works cited. Therefore proving the reliability of information. Journal contains articles that are usually technical and contain the jargon of the field discussed.
News and views have their place in American Libraries, and every opportunity is assured for expression of diverse views when readers believe such views run counter to their own, or when news is considered to be inaccurately or not fully reported. Signed interpretive comment is encouraged. Columns of American Libraries are kept scrupulously and faithfully open to all viewpoints of interest and concern to the library profession.
Now let’s talk about INSPEL. INSPEL is a professional journal primarily for the dissemination of papers written or proposed for publication by members of the IFLA Division of Special Libraries. The Division promotes and coordinates the work of particular relevance to the specific types of libraries or library activities in its Standing Committees for Art Libraries, Biological and Medical Sciences Libraries, Geography and Map Libraries, Government Libraries, Science and Technology Libraries and Social Science Libraries.
The Journal is directed to an international readership among librarians in government and international agencies, as well as in universities and research institutions. Librarianship is a key subject in a rapidly changing world. Improved practice will help produce economic benefits, and special attention should be given to problems concerning libraries in Developing Countries.
We cannot objectively compare this publication to American Libraries since it does not have half of the information gathering capabilities, circulation and audience of the American Libraries. The information generally is older and is not as illustrated and sometimes is just copied from the other publications. There are less photographs and the style of writing is not as professional.
However it has the targeted reader. This type of reader is particularly interested in the type of information INSPEL presents. For this kind of reader American Libraries and INSPEL would come good together, they would complement each other to give the reader full information that he wants to know.