Discussion of Wayne Wiegand's criticism of library and information science focuses on the ideas of Pierre Bourdieu to help form a new set of frameworks. Topics include social institutions and symbolic power; cultural production and librarianship; and classification as symbolic power. (LRW)

Responds to Wayne Wiegand's article that criticizes library and information science by suggesting a cultural studies approach to the field. Applies the work of Stuart Hall to a media stereotype of the female librarian based on the film "Party Girl" to allow new interpretations of media images of the profession. (Author/LRW)

Discusses Wayne Wiegand's article that criticizes library and information science and its role in relations of power and knowledge, and suggests that the work of Antonio Gramsci can help understand how libraries and users are conditioned by history and politics. Considers Gramsci's Marxism; historical subjects and hegemony; and political strategy.…

Outlines the elements of a revised epistemological approach to thinking about library and information science. Hermeneutical phenomenology seeks an understanding of the essence of things (such as the library) and takes into account, among other things, the intentional stances of the human actors within the realm of library and information science.…

Two main traditions now operate in philosophy, influencing the choice about which theories are appropriate in library and information science (LIS). A third tradition, known as process philosophy, gives prominence to human knowledge as an organically integrated, self-sustaining whole, thereby opening another avenue for the effort to revitalize…

This article describes several sessions of a larger case study that examined cognitive categories for library information in a group of children in kindergarten through grade 4. While the initial motivation for the project was pragmatic in nature, theoretical issues relating to people's cognitive categories for information are examined as well.…