The Essence of Librarianship, the Meaning of Informtion, and the **************:"%::******************A.************
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 363 346 IR 054 611 AUTHOR Nitecki, Joseph Z. TITLE Metalibrarianship: A Model for Intellectual Foundations of Library Information Science. PUB DATE 93 NOTE 664p. PUB TYPE Books (010) Information Analyses (070) Viewpoints (Opinion/Position Papers, Essays, etc.) (120) EDRS PRICE MF03/PC27 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS History; *Information Science; *Library Science; Models; *Philosophy; *Theories IDENTIFIERS *Metalibrarianship; Metaphysics ABSTRACT This monograph was written to ansoer questions about the essence of librarianship, the meaning of informtion, and the principles behind a desire for information transfer, f,reservation of older records, or creation of new ideas. The work is organized into three parts. Part Iis titled "In Search of a Discipline: Toward a Science of Library Information (LIS)" and includes chapters 1-4. Part II is titled "Defining Library Reality: Philosophical Inquiry" and includes chapters 5-8, Part III is titled "Metalibrarianship" and includes chapters 9-12. The chapters are as follows:(1) Introduction;(2) Historical Milestones in Librarianship; (3) Changing Paradigms of Library Information Science;(4) The Issue of Library and Information Science Self-Consciousness; (5) Conceptual Framework;(6) What Is Philosophy of Librarianship? (7) Emerging Philosophy of Librarianship;(8) Theories about Knowledge; (9) Intellectual Environment of Metalibrarianship; (10) The Concepts of 'Information' and 'Knowledge' Revisited; (11) Theory of iletalibrarianship; and (12) Metalibrary Implications. A list of the major contributors to the philosophy of librarianship is appended. (Contains 413 references.)(KRN) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * **************:"%::******************A.**************************** U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 011n of Edut.abonal Research and Irnprovernent EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) .' This document has been reproducedas roc evecl Ppm the person ororganization originating it Mlnot c.nanqes nave been made loimprove ieproduction Quality PenntS 01 view pr oprorpos staled at 1 OrsCoCu- rnent do ont oecessenly represent011Mtal (IE RI ppsilmon or pOkCy METAILIBRARIANSHIP:-. A MODEL FOR INTELLECTUAL FOUNDATIONS OF LIBRRAY INFORMATION SCIENCE bY JOSEPH Z_ HITECKI 19G1 "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY Joseph Z. Nitecki Copyright @ 1993 by J. I. Nitecki TO THE EDUCATIONAL REIOURCES Lo INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." omi ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I acknowledge with gratitude the significant contributions to this work made by my wife, who believed in the project and helped me to complete it, and to my daughter, for reviewing parts of the manuscript. The prevailing attitude of our library profession to the philosophical issues in librarianship is well illustrated by the attitude of publishing industry.I wrote letters to ten pub- lishers inquiring about the feasibility of publishing a book on philosophy of librarianship. Some publishers did not bother to acknowledge receiving the letter; others, claiming a commercial unprofitability of such a publication, and without even seeing the manuscript, expressed no interest in it. Hence,I am grateful to Educational Resources Information Cen- ter (ERIC) for giving this essay a chance to be iead. INSERT ON THE OPPOSITE PAGE: Fig. 1-1: Metalibrary Patterns IFor explanation see Fig. 11-11.1 .ir 14 FIG.1-1: METALIBRARY PATTERNS BEST COPY AVAILABLE iii CONTENTS Part I: TN SEARCH OF A DISCIPLINE: Toward a Science of Library Information (LIS) The first part of the book provides a topography for the essay, by focusing on the emergence of librar- ianship as a social institution. 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Prologue 1.2 The Heritage: An Old Profession 1.3 Assumptions 1.4 Objectives of the Study 1.4.1 Focus of the Argument 1.4.2 Tentative Hypothesis 1.5 Emerging Philosophy 1.6 Arrangements of the Content Notes 2.0 Historical milestones in Librarianship 2.1 Philosophical interpretation of Library History 2.1.1. Descriptive Approach 2.1.2 Prescriptive Approach 2.1.3 Analytical Approach 2.2 Historical Perspectives 2.3 The Beginnings: c. 500,000 (?)--3000 BC 2.4 River Valley Civilization: 3000 BC--1750 BC 2.4.1 Historical Overview 2.4.2 Library-related Implications 2.5 Oriental CiVilizations: 1750 BC--323 BC 2.5.1 Historical Overview 2.5.2 Library-related Implications 2.6 Classical Civilization: 900 BC--AD 900 2.6.1 Greek City-Scates: 900 BC--336 BC 2.6.1.1. Historical Overview 2.6.1.2 Library-related Implications 2.6.2 Roman Civilization: 753 BC--AD 410 2.6.2.1 Historical Overview 2.6.2.2 Library-related Implications 2.6.3 Byzantine Civilization: 410 BC--AD 1453 2.6.3.1 Historical Overview 2.6.3.2 Library-related Implications Ii iv 2.7 Transitional period: AD 410 AD--AD 900 2.7.1 Historical Overview 2.7.2 Library-related Implications 2.8 Middle Ages: AD 900--AD 1500 2.8.1 Historical Overview 2.8.2 Library-related Implications 2.9 Modern World: AD 1500 -- 2.9.1 Historical Overview 2.9.2 Library-related Implications 2.9.2.1 Renaissance: 1400--1600 2.9.2.2 The Seventeenth Century 2.9.2.3 The Eighteenth Century 2.9.2.4 The Nineteenth Century 2.9.2.5 The Twentieth Century 2.10 Conclusion Notes 3.0 Changing Paradigms of Library Information Science (LIS) 3.1 Introduction 3.1.1 Major Concepts in Librarianship 3.1.2 Four Faces of Librarianship 3.2 The Library 3.2.1 Changing Library Image 3.2.2 Evolving Library Objectives 3.3 Library Science 3.3.1 Its Origins 3.3.2 Its Scientific Character 3.3.3 Bibliographic Aspects of Library Science 3.3.4 Classification and Cataloging 3.4 Librarianship 3.4.1 Gradual Development 3.4.2 Major Changes in Library Functions 3.4.3 Different Views of Librarianship 3.4.4 Ethics of the Profession 3.4.5 Reading 3.5 Information Science a. On information b. On Information Science 3.6 Changing Paradigms of the Discipline 3.6.1 Sociological Aspects: Society and Its Expectations 3.6.2 Philosophical Aspects: Information Environ- ment and Its Nature 3.6.3 Technological Aspects: Inventions and Their Adaptations 3.7 Prophesies of Change 3.8 Criticism of the Discipline 3.8 Summary and Conclusions Notes V 4.0 The Issue of Library and Information Science Self- consciousness 4.1 Definitional Confusion 4.1.1 Lack of Consensus 4.1.2 Variations in Self-perception 4.1.3 Hypothetical Opposites 4.2 Divergences in Defining 'Definitions.' 4.2.1. Prescriptive Definitions 4.2.2 Linguistic Definitions 4.2.3 Essentialistic Definitions 4.3 Schrader's Linguistic Analysis 4.3.1 Library Science (LS) 4.3.2 Information Science (IS) 4.3.3 Library and Information Science (L&IS) 4.4 Applications of Different Approaches 4.5 Conceptual Unity 4.6 Common Denominators 4.6.1 Common Subject Matter 4.6.1.1 Structure of Information Resources a. Resources b. Bibliographic Organization c. Access 4.6.1.2 Purposes of Inf,Frmation Agencies a. Informative End-objectives b. Educational End-objectoves c. Cultural End-objectives 4.6.1.3 Functions of Information Agents a. Managerial Coordination b. Interpretation of Resources c. Mediation between Demands for and Supplies of Resources and Services 4.6.2 Informational Environment a. Intellectual Environment b. Political Environment c. Technical Environment 4.6.3 Role in a Society a. Psychological Evaluation b. Sociological Evaluation d. Philosophical Evaluation 4.7 Summary Notes "IMMIMMIV vi PART II: DEFINING LIBRARY REALITY: Philosophical Inquiry. 5.0 Conceptual Framework 5.1 Introduction 5.1.1 Philosophical Overview 5.1.2 Major Philosophical Questions 5.2 What is Philosophy? 5.3 Evolution of Philosophical Interpretations of Ultimate Reality 5.3.1 Antiquity: Setting the stage: Indian, Chinese, and Other Philosophical Teach- ings (ca. 800 BC--600 BC) 5.3.2 Classical Age: Laying the foundations: 600BC--AD 400 5.3.3 Age of Belief: Medieval speculations: AD 400-1400 5.3.4 Age of Adventure: Philosophy of Renais- sance: 1400-1500 AD 5.3.5 Age of Reason: Modern Philosophy: 17th c. 5.3.6 Age of Enlightenment: Philosophy of Natu- T-al Sciences: 18th c. 5.3.7 Age of Ideology: Ideological and Cultural Reconstruction: 19th c. 5.3.8 Age of Analysis: Entering Uncharted Philosophical Territory: 20th c. 5.4 What is Reality? 5.5 Major World Vievs 5.5.1 introduction 5.5.2 Empirical Viewpoint: Philosophy of Objective Reality 5.5.3 Rational Viewpoint: Philosophy of Logical Reality of Ideas 5.5.4 Cultural Viewpoint: Subjective Philosophy of an Individual and his Society Notes 6.0 What is Philosophy of Librarianship? 6.1 Environment for the Philosophy of Librarianship 6.1.1 Scope of the Philosophy of Librarianship 6.1.2 The Need for a Philosophical Approach 5.1.4 The Value of Philosophy to Librarianship 6.2 Major Components in the Definitions of the Philosophy of Librarianship 6.2.1 Introduction 6.2.2 Evolving Objectives of the Library Philosophy vii 6.2.3 Epistemological, Ethical and Metaphysical Questions 6.3 Philosophers on the Philosophy of Librarianship 6.4 Ceitique of the Philosophical Approach to Librar- ianship Notes 7.0 Emerging Philosophy of Libl'arianship 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Reviewers of Literature in Philosophy of Librar ianship 7.2.1 Patricia Peirce, A Study of the Philosophy of Librarianship, 1930-1950/ 1951 7.2.2 Haynes McMullen, Research in.Backgrounds in Librarianship, 1957 7.2.3 A.K. Mukherjee, Librarianship; Its Philosophy and History, 1966 7.2.4 Myrna Downs, The Emergence of a Philosophy of Librarianship in the United States, 1969 7.2.5 Barbara McCrimmon, American Library Philosophy, 1975 7.2.6 Marie Foster, Philosophy of Librarianship, 1979 7.2.7 J.M. Whitehead, Logos of Library and Information Science, 1980 7.2.8 A.R.