Scholar's Workshop: Evolving Conceptions of Library Service (Book Review)

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Toward a theory of Librarianship and information science

As funções da biblioteconomia vêm se alargando através dos tempos e refletem sempre as atividades, valores e objetivos das sociedades que as sustentam. Sua missão social não se modificou e os bibliotecários têm, contudo, uma compreensão imperfeita do livro como entidade intelectual. Devem eles conhecer o sistema cognitivo do indivíduo e a rede de comunicação da sociedade, a importância desse conhecimento para o indivíduo e a sociedade. A epistemologia social seria uma nova disciplina cujo foco estaria na produção, fluxo, integração e consumo de todas as formas de pensamento comunicado por toda a estrutura social. A biblioteconomia, fundamentalmente ciência  do comportamento, é considerada pelos russos como um ramo das ciências sociais. Nossa cultura, com profundas raízes da Ciência, começa a perceber que esta constrói tão bem quanto destrói, e a década de 70 deverá ser mais dedicada às ciências sociais do que às ciências físicas. Quanto às atuais tendências, a recuperação mecanizada da informação foi um campo que despertou muito interesse mas foi bem pouco produtivo, pois a ênfase recaiu na máquina e não no aspecto humano, lógico, lingüístico etc.; a bibliografia, atividade central do bibliotecário  — entendida aqui como toda atividade que pretende colocar usuário e livro juntos — não tem consi-derado a especialização de assunto: por outro lado, verifica-se no momento interesse pela cooperação. estimulada pela tecnologia da comunicação, teoria geral dos sistemas, automação e tecnologias cor-relatas, o que significa um afastamento das humanidades em direção às ciências físicas, biológicas e sociais. Pessoas de outras áreas têm procurado a biblioteconomia por fatores diversos mas esta "invasão" lhe trará benefícios; quanto à biblioteca pública, o bibliotecário está procurando fazer ser-viço social. Todas estas tendências implicara na alteração da educação profissional do bibliotecário. Sua primeira necessidade é ter boa formação geral ou liberal, com um mestrado numa área de assunto especializado, que só terá significado se tiver por base aquela educação geral. A pesquisa na biblioteconomia deverá contar com a participação de especialistas das diversas áreas porque o bibliotecário sozinho não tem formação capaz de fazê-lo desenvolver seus projetos. Se o objetivo da formação profissional é desenvolver a capacidade de propor alternativas, então todo o sistema educacio-nal deve trabalhar em conjunto na criação 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

Documentation (Book Review)

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What Lies Ahead in Classification

Of all the modes of human intellectual activity prognostication is probably the most treacherous. It may not influence people, but certainly it will alienate one's friends. No one paid much heed to the warnings of the unfortunate Cassandra, and there is no record that either the Oracle of Delphi or the Cumaean Sibyl -had any bosom companions. But every well-ordered conference needs a sacrificial goat, and for that role I probably possess a natural affinity, even though my sex may differ from that of the Sibyls. Because the crystal ball is always, at least potentially, cloudy the temptation is ever present to seek refuge in definition, ambiguity, or riddles. It was no accident that the Sibylline leaves were scattered. Thus one might be quite within his rights to ask rhetorically what is meant by librarianship? by classification? and by the future? Doubtless, I too will end by "hedging my bets'* in this way, but for the moment, at least, I shall throw discretion, rather than prophetic words, to the winds and declare bluntly and without equivocation that I think library classification is here to stay. Not long ago I remarked to a friend who has long been a leader among special librarians, that on recent visits to England and Brazil I had been repeatedly asked why librarians in the United States were so belligerently opposed to classification. My friend's reply was immediate, explosive, and, I am afraid, very typical of most of us "That's easy, because it's no good!" The substance of this essay, then is as much a protest against such a misunderstanding of the role of classification in librarianship, as it is a forecast of the future Like the Apostles' Creed, it may be regarded as, "The essence of things hoped for the substance of things unseen." THE NATURE OF CLASSIFICATIONpublished or submitted for publicatio

Special Librarianship and Documentation

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Darwin, Bacon, and Research in Librarianship

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The Last Quarter-Century: Change as Challenge or as Catastrophe

Includes a response by Jesse H. Shera. Because most of us are "little conservatives" or "little liberals," we are baffled, divided and troubled by change. Most of our judgments about change reflect in some measure our varying temperaments and styles. Either we function best with things as they are in familiar surroundings where stimuli and responses are predictable and routine, or we demand bold new challenges and large opportunities to make life worth living. It is the beginning of wisdom to recognize that in our response to change we are not the same, and we do not help one another by blind insistence that we are. There is no such thing as one objective response to change; each of us responds from the ground on which he or she stands.published or submitted for publicatio

Borrowings from the Bristol Library, 1773-1874; A Unique Record of Reading Vogues (Book Review)

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Focus on Information and Communication (Book Review)

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