Library thinkers in the 19th and 20th centuries

Abstract

Objective: To examine the process of constitution and development of library science thought up to the first half of the 20th century. Methodology: Using documentary research as a methodological tool, this examination utilizes appropriate bibliographic sources to delineate the social, theoretical, and scientific circumstances that conditioned the scenarios serving as a platform for the emergence of conceptual and theoretical perspectives in the development of Library Science. Results: The analysis reveals the set of thinkers who shaped the existence of library science thought and the proposals that comprise it. Conclusions: The construction process of Library Science and its thought has traversed diverse and markedly different temporal circumstances. The specific formalization of this space dates back to the 19th century; the years following its founding are distinguished by notable efforts in the search for a conceptual and theoretical foundation that would allow it to establish its legitimacy as a field of knowledge with its corresponding thinkers. Originality/Value: This study provides an insight into the distinctive elements of library science thought and its most representative authors up to the first half of the 20th century, basing the analysis on the epochal circumstances that frame the discourses examined.