Approach to the Social Epistemology as theoretical project for Library Science

Abstract

Objective: To explore the initial theoretical attempts emerged in Library Science, such as to describe and evaluate the most consistent theoretical proposal of this field, elaborated by Jesse Hauk Shera (1903-1982) and Margaret Elizabeth Egan (1905-1959) in the 20th century and named by its creators as Social Epistemology.
Design/Methodology/Approach: Through a documentary research as a tool, we examine the institutional, professional, epistemological and scientific circumstances that conditioned the creation of social epistemology and the identifiers of the theoretical project.
Results/Discussion: The approach made to the discourse of social epistemology made possible to delimit the specificities that distinguish the theoretical base of the proposed Library Science, where the special role of information, knowledge and communication in this process was examined. Likewise, that the argumentation that supports the especially sociological and communicational base of the proposal was defined
Conclusions: The historical social epistemology developed by Jesse H. Shera and Margaret E. Egan emanates from a special conjuncture, its theoretical-discursive expression is marked by the circumstances that distinguished its time. With their proposal they began the development of an epistemological discourse connected with the social reality; Thus, they make up the peculiarities of their choice and translated into postulating that the theoretical basis of Library Science could only be in the existing relationship between society and the production, appropriation and use of knowledge.
Originality/Value: The study that is carried out allows an approach to the distinctive elements of this proposal, where the epochal circumstantiality that frames the elaborated product and the incidence of these in the theoretical discourse that is proposed became visible.