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Abstract
Purpose - To analyse the use of hermeneutics in library and information science (LIS).
Design/methodology/approach - Presents a literature-based conceptual analysis of: the definition of hermeneutics in LIS; and the practical use of hermeneutics within recent LIS studies.
Findings - The use of hermeneutics in LIS has increased during the last decade, as has the number of authors discussing its scientific value for LIS. In many studies the interpretative character of the objects of study seen as hermeneutic in itself. This is a misconception which draws the attention away from hermeneutics as a scientific point of departure and methodology used in the study of these processes. The problem is specifically present in studies making explicit or implicit reference to a modern view of science, while studies referring to LIS as a postmodern field of study seem to be more at ease with hermeneutics.
Practical implications - Questions are raised on the fundamental use of hermeneutics in LIS. This may give rise to a deeper discussion on the scientific value and character of hermeneutics in LIS.
Originality/value - The paper questions the use of hermeneutics as a point of departure in LIS research by looking at the research made within the field. This perspective may increase understanding of the function of hermeneutics within LIS, something which is of value both for the research community and for students within LIS.
Keywords Libraries, Information science, Postmodernism, Research methods
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Many of the problems and practices that are studied within library and information science (LIS) can be described as interpretative. Indexing, classification and retrieval of individual documents, structuring collections of documents, librarians helping users find the documents they seek - all of these practices are complex interpretative activities carried out in increasingly complex and sophisticated information environments, both physical and virtual. These processes and their institutional and social affiliations and environments are also traditionally seen as the prime objects of study in LIS (Davenport, 1992). The questions about what knowledge we need to develop and how to achieve this development have been under debate within the LIS community during the last two decades, and have formed what today can be seen as a discipline with a highly creative thinking about how to grasp...