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Toward a theory of Librarianship and information science

1973; SciELO; Volume: 2; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.18225/ci.inf..v2i2.30

1518-8353

Jesse H. Shera,

Information Science and Libraries

As funcoes da biblioteconomia vem se alargando atraves dos tempos e refletem sempre as atividades, valores e objetivos das sociedades que as sustentam. Sua missao social nao se modificou e os bibliotecarios tem, contudo, uma compreensao imperfeita do livro como entidade intelectual. Devem eles conhecer o sistema cognitivo do individuo e a rede de comunicacao da sociedade, a importância desse conhecimento para o individuo e a sociedade. A epistemologia social seria uma nova disciplina cujo foco estaria na producao, fluxo, integracao e consumo de todas as formas de pensamento comunicado por toda a estrutura social. A biblioteconomia, fundamentalmente ciencia do comportamento, e considerada pelos russos como um ramo das ciencias sociais. Nossa cultura, com profundas raizes da Ciencia, comeca a perceber que esta constroi tao bem quanto destroi, e a decada de 70 devera ser mais dedicada as ciencias sociais do que as ciencias fisicas. Quanto as atuais tendencias, a recuperacao mecanizada da informacao foi um campo que despertou muito interesse mas foi bem pouco produtivo, pois a enfase recaiu na maquina e nao no aspecto humano, logico, linguistico etc.; a bibliografia, atividade central do bibliotecario — entendida aqui como toda atividade que pretende colocar usuario e livro juntos — nao tem consi-derado a especializacao de assunto: por outro lado, verifica-se no momento interesse pela cooperacao. estimulada pela tecnologia da comunicacao, teoria geral dos sistemas, automacao e tecnologias cor-relatas, o que significa um afastamento das humanidades em direcao as ciencias fisicas, biologicas e sociais. Pessoas de outras areas tem procurado a biblioteconomia por fatores diversos mas esta invasao lhe trara beneficios; quanto a biblioteca publica, o bibliotecario esta procurando fazer ser-vico social. Todas estas tendencias implicara na alteracao da educacao profissional do bibliotecario. Sua primeira necessidade e ter boa formacao geral ou liberal, com um mestrado numa area de assunto especializado, que so tera significado se tiver por base aquela educacao geral. A pesquisa na biblioteconomia devera contar com a participacao de especialistas das diversas areas porque o bibliotecario sozinho nao tem formacao capaz de faze-lo desenvolver seus projetos. Se o objetivo da formacao profissional e desenvolver a capacidade de propor alternativas, entao todo o sistema educacio-nal deve trabalhar em conjunto na criacao de um eleitorado esclarecido capaz de uma escolha racional para que a democracia possa sobreviver. Abstract Functions of librarianship broadened through the ages reflecting the attitudes, values and goals of the societies that supported it. Its social mission did not change, and librarians, however, have an imperfect understanding of the book as an in-tellectual entity. They must know the cognitive system of the individual and the communication network of society, as well as the importance of that knowledge to both the individual and to society,Social epistemology would be a new di-scipline with a focus upon the production, flow, integration and consuption of all forms of com-municated thought throughout the entire social fabric. Librarianship, fundamentally a behavioristic science, is considered by the Russians as a branch of the social sciences. Our culture, deeply rooted in Science, is discovering that the latter can destroy as well as create, and the problems of the seven-ties are much apt to be in the social, rather than the pbysical sciences. As to the present trends, perhaps no aspect of librarianship has aroused so much interest as mechanized information retrieval, and none has been so unproductivc, since emphasis was given to machines and not to human, logical, linguistic, etc., aspects; bibliography, the librarian's central activity — meaning all activities that are required to bring book and user together — has not taken subject specialization into account; on the other hand, there is nowadays an interest in cooperation stimulated by the technology of communication, general systems theory, automation and related technologies, which signifies a shift from the humanities to the physical, biological, and social sciences. For several reasons people from other areas are recruiting to librarianship, but from this invasion librarianship should profit; as for the public library, librariam are trying to play social worker. All these trends imply in changes in the librarian's professional education. The first need of the librarian is a good, general, or liberal, educa-tion, with a level of Master's degree in a subject specialization, which only will have a meaning if based upon that general education. Research in librarianship must receive the participation of specialists from other arcas because librarians do not have the correct education which could make them capable of carrying out research projects. If the end of education is to develop the capacity to propound alternatives, then educational system in its entirity must work together in the creation of an enlightened electorate capable of rational choice it democracy is to survive.