New concepts, new ideas, and new objects diffuse through a society in a fairly predictable, multi-stage process over an indeterminate period of time. In recent years many social scientists representing various disciplines have accepted the methods and findings of diffusion research and it has attained legitimacy and prominence. To make these findings more easily accessible, Musmann and Kennedy have compiled a useful and timely bibliography which contains over 2,300 entries, most of which were published after 1970. Relevant articles and monographs in English were located by the compilers through systematic searches of online data bases and printed indexes. A few foreign language citations are also included here. The interdisciplinary nature of the diffusion model has allowed social scientists to document and illustrate social transformations in diverse fields. Recently, the processes of technology transfer and technological change have come under scrutiny by social scientists. Historically, technological innovations have played a major role in the development of advanced industrialized nations. Therefore, their diffusion, even in one society, often involves significant social changes to both habitat and economy, and should be a well-watched barometer. Following an illuminating introduction, thirteen separate chapters provide full bibliographical citations for studies in various disciplines including: anthropology, business and economics, geography, history, psychology, and technology, among others. Another chapter is devoted to bibliography and research methods, and author and subject indexes complete the volume. The most comprehensive document of its kind in print, Diffusion of Innovations should find a place in most libraries, especially those collecting materials in communications, education, sociology, and the health sciences.

This book chronicles the attitudes of librarians toward technological innovations that took place between 1860 and 1960. These years saw the invention and subsequent diffusion of electricity, photography, the telephone, the phonograph, motion pictures, the radio, and television. Many of these inventions had a profound impact on society. Some were adopted by librarians and had an equally significant influence on library services, while others faded away at an early stage and now rest peacefully buried in archives. This monograph records the attempts of a few librarians to integrate a number of technological innovations into the library environment and to project their possible future applications. Their education and experience often did not prepare them for a time of rapid change, yet, in spite of these shortcomings, both libraries and the profession managed to survive rather well the onslaught of technology.