Starting from the problematization of the meanings of science and library professions and institutions, the paper surfaces and analyzes from perspectives equally philosophical, epistemological, and scientometric, the premises and conditions which situate – willingly or not – the project of a (any) genuine research which intends to study the Romanian literature on librarianship as it appears in books and periodicals. To this end, earlier researches will also be placed on the dissection table of analysis, but meanwhile the problematic (...) and even symptomatic experiences that the editors of the journal Philobiblon and its Romanian anthologies by the title Hermeneutica Bibliothecaria – Antologie Philobiblon have to confront are also organically exposed. These experiences outline as well the issues that practically any present or future responsible research of this type should focus on, as also the neuralgic points and mental traps which – once identified – will have to be either avoided, or assumed in the course of these researches. These traps, resulting precisely from the functioning and environment of this literature – which is, or pretends to be, equally professional and scientific – are and can be dangerous in the future, yet also eloquent with regard to their publishing and affiliation institutions. (shrink)

This landmark work traces the heritage of thought, from the beginnings of modern science in the seventeenth century, until today, that has influenced the profession of library and information science.

"This work is a valuable casebook, specifically for library and information science professionals, that presents numerous case studies that combine theories of...

This paper analyses the relations between philosophy of information (PI), library and information science (LIS) and social epistemology (SE). In the first section, it is argued that there is a natural relation between philosophy and LIS but that SE cannot provide a satisfactory foundation for LIS. SE should rather be seen as sharing with LIS a common ground, represented by the study of information, to be investigated by a new discipline, PI. In the second section, the nature of (...) PI is outlined as the philosophical area that studies the conceptual nature of information, its dynamics and problems. In the third section, LIS is defined as a form of applied PI. The hypothesis supported is that PI should replace SE as the philosophical discipline that can best provide the conceptual foundation for LIS. In the conclusion, it is suggested that the 'identity' crisis undergone by LIS has been the natural outcome of a justified but precocious search for a philosophical counterpart that has emerged only recently: namely, PI. The development of LIS should not rely on some borrowed, pre-packaged theory. As applied PI, LIS can fruitfully contribute to the growth of basic theoretical research in PI itself and thus provide its own foundation. (shrink)

_Mini-set D: Political Sociology_ discusses key themes such as race and politics, culture and politics, popular political movements and politics in relation to the social sciences in general.

Exeter Cathedral Library, established in the eleventh century, houses medical and scientific books from all periods. The collection is one of the best of its kind and is a major resource. It includes the library of the Exeter physician Thomas Glass, which he left to the cathedral in the eighteenth century, as well as pre-1901 items from Exeter Medical Library. This catalogue is the first comprehensive treatment of the collection to be published, and has over 2700 entries, (...) including material added in the 1990s. The book also includes an Introduction by Peter Thomas, plus indexes of subjects; co-authors, editors, biographees; owners. The great names in medical history are represented—Hippocrates, Galen, Vesalius, Paré, Jenner and many others, and among the scientists—Galileo, Kepler and Boyle. And the subjects covered by the collection include 'hard' medicine and science as well as herbalism, hypnotism, phrenology, navigation, agriculture, tobacco, winemaking, astrology, alchemy and acupuncture. (shrink)

_Mini-set E: Radical Politics/The Socialist Tradition_ re-issues works by H B Acton, George Brenkert, Tom Campbell, Antony Cutler, Barry Hindess, Paul Hirst, Athar Hussain, Amlan Datta, J Jupp, Dennis Kavanagh, Norman MacKenzie, Patricia Pugh and Paul Thomas among others which discuss the history of socialism and the marxist and anarchist traditions.

Introduction. This article recosiders some basic notions in library and information science, including those of work, knowledge organization system, information and library and information science itself, in light of the theory of levels of reality. Method. This theory is briefly outlined, especially in its version by Nicolai Hartmann, which considers ideal being, matter, life, mind and spirit (culture) as major levels, and analyzes spirit into personal spirit, objective (social) spirit and objectivated (intellectual) spirit. Objectivated spirit has (...) been further analyzed into artefacts and mentefacts in Gnoli (2018). Analysis and results. Mentefacts is a notion of special relevance to library and information science. As suggested by commenters, works are mentefacts, although not the only type of them. For example, knowledge organization systems are also mentefacts, and should therefore be studied in all their three levels of personal, objective and objectivated spirit. Information as conceived by Floridi is a fundamental entity pertaining to all levels, rather than only to the level of mentefacts which is the focus of library and information science. Conclusions. This suggests that theoretical foundations of library and information science should not rely exclusively on Floridi’s philosophy of information, but more on notions specific to the level of mentefacts, such as those of concept, argument, work, citation, bibliographic family, subject, knowledge organization system etc. To be distinguished from other disciplines, library and information science should be conceived as a science of mentefacts. (shrink)

In this chapter, we explore the critical role of Africa in developing/decolonizing libraries and world civilization. Africa has contributed significantly to world civilization through ancient and modern/smart libraries. This chapter looks at the multilayered aspects of how Africa has contributed to the decolonization of libraries by developing modern libraries that resonate with the aspirations of its people. This chapter also examines African libraries before and after the onset of colonialism regarding the production, processing, dissemination, and archiving of knowledge. It, in (...) addition, investigates the challenges of African libraries in the era of “decoloniality.” The chapter further analyzes the ancient African libraries, focusing on their contribution to modern library and information science. Moreover, and more importantly, with the preceding aspects as a backdrop, this chapter discusses how Africa has been specifically conceptualized by scholars in the field of Library Studies also referred to as Library Science and Library and Information Science. In the end, a conclusion is drawn, and recommendations are tendered. Accordingly, the following research question guides the chapter: How has ancient African librarianship contributed to modern libraries? Africans should not be astonished by the knowledge of knowledge and its acquisition since historical evidence confirms that their ancestors, the ancient people of Kemet/Ancient Egypt, referred to as “the black land,” were the first to establish and operate libraries and higher education institutions in the world. (shrink)

Although the University of Leeds has attained something of a reputation for the quality of its scholarship in the history of science, few historians are aware of the impressive collection of early scientific and medical books and manuscripts to be found in the University libraries. In order to make the library resources more widely known, we embarked on a systematic survey of the contents of the main historical collections. We wanted not only to give a general impression of (...) the particular strengths and distinctive features of each collection, but also to mention the interesting or rare copies of individual works to be found in them. We have, therefore, examined every book related to the history of science and medicine in the relevant collections, and in doing so we have uncovered a number of important items. For example, we have identified a book which was once in Newton's library, and a previously unrecorded copy of Joseph Black's chemical lectures. More generally, we had not suspected the true size and range of the Chaston Chapman Collection, which makes it a valuable resource for the history of alchemy and early chemistry; nor were we initially aware of the strength of the Historical Collection of the Medical and Dental Library. The wealth of the legacies to the Brotherton and Special Collections also impressed us. (shrink)

Despite its fundamental concern with knowledge acquisition and dissemination, Library and Information Science (LIS) lacks a clearly articulated epistemological foundation. This paper addresses two related questions: what kind of epistemological foundation best serves LIS, and how libraries – as a central site of LIS theory and practice – should be conceived for epistemic evaluation. In response to the first, I challenge the claim that social epistemology (SE) is unsuited to LIS because of its epistemologically prescriptive nature. Drawing on (...) the distinction between evaluative and prescriptive normativity, I show that SE can offer evaluative standards to inform LIS without being prescriptive about adherence to those standards. In response to the second, I argue that libraries can be conceived as social epistemic systems and examine two contextual factors that explain how they function as such: their role as epistemic environments and the social practices that partially constitute them. Analysis of these practices reveals that ethical and political considerations are embedded in libraries’ epistemic functioning. These arguments reveal the limits of purist conceptions of epistemic performance and motivate an integrated approach to SE as a foundation for LIS – one that remains veritistic while also drawing on empirical insights and attending to ethico-political concerns. (shrink)

Für alle auf dem Buchmarkt Tätigen! Mit kurzen internationalen Einführungen in Institutionen der Informationsversorgung von Public Libraries bis zum Library Law und Intellectual Property. Fachausdrücke werden im Kontext dargestellt und eingeübt. Fragen und ein alphabetisches Vokabelverzeichnis runden jedes Kapitel ab.

What is meant by "the philosophy of librarianship" -- The lack of a coherent philosophy of librarianship -- The nature of librarianship -- The ultimate aims of libraries.

Echoes of a philosophy -- Strategic considerations -- Cultural evolution -- Communication -- A cultural technology -- Unique function of the library -- Stewardship of the social transcript -- Sounding for the embedded philosophy.

The transmission of Greek learning to the Arabic-speaking world paved the way to the rise of Arabic philosophy. This volume offers a deep and multifarious survey of transmission of Greek philosophy through the schools of late Antiquity to the Syriac-speaking and Arabic-speaking worlds.

The transmission of Greek learning to the Arabic-speaking world paved the way to the rise of Arabic philosophy. This volume offers a deep and multifarious survey of transmission of Greek philosophy through the schools of late Antiquity to the Syriac-speaking and Arabic-speaking worlds.

This book charts the development and character of the political forms that grew out of the age of Greek immigration into the Aegean, and establishes the forms which in the course of history were decisive. It also examines the impact which the various forms of state exerted on Greek civilization and in so doing strengthens the bridge between political history and the history of civilization. This volume encompasses many disciplines: political, social history, and religious history, law, administration and geography.

PurposeIn this paper, faculty librarians at an academic institution explore the ethical dimensions of conducting research with user-generated social networking service (SNS) data. In an effort to guide librarian-researchers, this paper first offers a background discussion of privacy ethics across disciplines and then proposes a library-specific ethical framework for conducting SNS research.Design/methodology/approachBy surveying the literature in other disciplines, three key considerations are identified that can inform ethical practice in the field of library science: context, expectation, and value (...) analysis. For each of these considerations, the framework is tailored to consider ethical issues, as they relate to libraries and our practice as librarian-researchers.FindingsThe unique role of the librarian-researcher demands an ethical framework specific to that practice. The findings of this paper propose such a framework.Practical implicationsLibrarian-researchers are at a unique point in our history. In exploring SNSs as a source of data to conduct research and improve services, we become challenged by conflicting and equally cherished values of patron privacy and information access. By evaluating research according to context, expectations, and value, this framework provides an ethical path forward for research using SNS data.Originality/valueAs of this paper’s publication, there is no existing ethical framework for conducting SNS research in libraries. The proposed framework is informed both by library values and by broader research values, and therefore provides unique guidelines for the librarian-researcher. (shrink)

This book includes historical precedents and current examples of ethical issues facing the profession, focusing on ethical dilemmas rather than management ...