Introduction to Documentation Studies Wins Best Information Science Book Award
The Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) is delighted to announce that Niels Windfeld Lund’s Introduction to Documentation Studies, published by Facet Publishing, is the recipient of the ASIS&T Best Information Science Book Award for 2025. The award’s purpose is to recognize the outstanding book in information science published during the preceding calendar year. The award is given to the author(s) whose book is judged to have made the most outstanding contribution in the field of information science during the year.
As noted by the Facet Publishing website, “This book presents the first comprehensive introduction to documentation studies. It outlines the historical background of, and the theoretical foundation for a complementary approach to documentation issues and processes: not only in the context of academic study, but also in the practice of documentation in different parts of society.
... Through six case-studies, the book shows how a complementary analysis of the intertwined processes of documentation, communication, and information in any kind of human interaction can be conducted. It demonstrates the relationships between the agents involved, the means chosen and in which modes the resulting complexes of documents are created, regardless of the field.
The complementary analytical model and method is relevant not only for documentation, communication, and information scholars, but to a range of fields of research in humanities, social sciences and natural sciences/engineering and design.
Written by an expert in documentation, this book provides a solid theoretical and analytical framework for professionals in archives, libraries, and museums, and for all those who manage documents as part of their professional life in healthcare, transportation, education, production and trade.”
Niels Windfeld Lund became the first employee and full professor in Documentation Studies at the Department of Documentation Studies, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway. Dr Lund was Associate Professor at the Royal School of Library and Information Science in Denmark and has twice been Visiting Professor at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2001 Dr Lund founded The Document Academy, an international network for Documentation studies organizing annual DOCAM conferences around the world. He is still active as Professor Emeritus, participating in research projects.
Upon learning of the book’s selection as the ASIS&T 2025 Best Information Science Book of the Year, Lund said, “Receiving the ASIS&T Best Information Science Book 2025 award is a very special kind of honor, completing many years effort to fulfill my promise to former receivers of this award: Patrick Wilson, Michael Buckland, Geoffrey Bowker and Ron Day. They remind me to do my best in this field. As Professor Wilson said, ‘go back to your work, you are on the right track.’ I hope it can inspire young people to do the same.”
Lund will receive the award during the 2025 meeting of ASIS&T which will be held 14-18 November 2025 in Crystal City, VA.