Theory in library science: basic guidelines for its teaching

IT IS SHOWN THAT, NOTWITHSTANDING SEVERAL DECADES OF DISCUSSION ON THE PROBLEM OF "THEORY" AND "PRAXIS", AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FORMER FOR GIVING DIREC­TION TO LIBRARY SCIENCE EDUCATION; THE LATTER, TECHNICAL EDUCATION, HAS PREDOMINATED. THUS, ONLY THREE METH­ODOLOGICAL GUIDELINES ARE SYSTEMATIZED WHICH DERIVE FUNDAMENTALLY FROM THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE, ON THE BA­SIS OF WHICH IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO APPROACH THE TEACH­ING OF THE LIBRARY SCIENCE DISCIPLINE AND TO OVERCOME SOME OF THE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE TEACHING OF A TECHNICAL CHARACTER. THE FIRST GUIDELINE HOLDS THAT LI­BRARY SCIENCE IS BUILT UPON PHENOMENA, CONCEPTS AND THEORIES. THE SECOND ONE UNDERLINES THE FUNDAMENTAL ROLE PLAYED BY THE INTELLECTUAL HISTORY OF CONCEPTS AND LIBRARY SCIENCE THEORIES. AND THE THIRD ONE CENTERS ON THE CONCEPTUAL CHANGE UNDERGONE BY LIBRARY SCIENCE STUDENTS.