THE PERIODICAL LITERATURE OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION IN AFRICA - 1990-1995

The African Journal of Library, Archives and Information Science (AJLA IS) is 5 years' old. Despite its relatively young age, it has become t he most consistent and reliable journal for information professionals in Africa. This study is an analysis of the papers covered in the firs t five volumes (1990-1995). Sixty-nine papers are analysed including t he status of the authors, gender, country of origin, and types of rese arch. The type and origin of cited documents the authors used in writi ng articles were also explored. When compared to previous studies, thi s study reveals an increase in the number of publications from Africa. Of particular interest is the increase in the number of female contri butors. The major areas of interest are information technology, rural libraries and status/image of librarians. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limi ted