Library and Information Science

‘Knowledge’ is closely related to the notion of ‘information’, which is one of the central notions in Library and Information Science, and is itself one of the most important notions in this field. In order to study how the notion ‘knowledge’ is situated in Library and Information Science, various articles and books which involve this notion were selected from reference books and textbooks in Library and Information Science. In examining those articles and books, 10 research areas which involve the notion ‘knowledge’ were selected. Based on the ethnographic methods, such as ‘coding’ and categorization, each of the articles and books was coded as to what kind of notion is assumed under the term ‘knowledge’, and how it is used. This sequence of coding produced 5 main analytical points to examine the notion and usage of ‘knowledge’ in each of the research areas. These analytical points are (1) how the term ‘knowledge’ is related with the term ‘information’, (2) how far it is generalized, (3) whether it is held as ‘being personal’ or as ‘being shared’, (4) in what way it is evaluated, and (5) where it is conceptually located.

The notion and usage of ‘knowledge’ in each of the research areas were then explicated through these analytical points, and how ‘knowledge’ is situated in Library and Information as a whole was further inferred based on the analysis. Finally, some unexplored aspects of this notion are pointed out, and some direction within the study of ‘knowledge’ is suggested for Library and Information Science.