This report examines the 1984 library and information science literature in order to characterize, analyze, and evaluate the published research of the field. The subjects and methods of research, types of libraries studied, and analytical techniques used are examined; a "core" journal group of 91 sources is established; and the amount and type of research published in the core are analyzed. Findings are presented for the characteristics of library and information science journals and articles and for the field of information science, and current research results are compared with those obtained in earlier studies. It is concluded that the range of subjects and types of libraries studied is wide, and that research is heavily concentrated in the historical, survey, and observation and description methods, with descriptive analytical techniques predominating over techniques that are predictive or inferential. Data are illustrated in 27 tables and 15 figures, and a bibliography is provided. (KM)