Theoretical Backbone of Library and Information Science: A Quest

Abstract

This study primarily aims to identify unique theories and specific uses of theories in the library and information science (LIS) domain. It provides a comprehensive list of the theories used in LIS journal articles indexed by Scopus (an abstract and citation database) from 1970–2021. It expands on the most common theories and highlights the areas and purposes for which used theories in the LIS domain. Our goal is to demonstrate the usages and applications of various borrowed theories from complementary disciplines in the LIS domain. A systematical methodology is applied, following a few open-source AI-based software packages (such as ASReview, and OpenRefine), to analyse the theories against different parameters, keeping in mind the drawbacks of the previous studies. The study's findings show that the LIS domain's theoretical foundations are understudied. Researchers mainly borrowed theories from social sciences such as sociology, psychology, and management studies to solidify their domain. The paper provides a clear road map for the theoretical development of LIS research. And the resulting outputs may help policymakers, academicians, and researchers, irrespective of disciplines in general and information science in particular, understand the foundations and theoretical and methodological trends of theories that may lead to a better understanding of the theories before their selection and applications.

Content analysis of articles in the University of Dar es Salaam Library Journal

“…Nonetheless, of all utilized theories, TAM and UTAUT were found to be the most frequently utilized ones. Previous LIS studies (Roy & Mukhopadhyay, 2023;Ukwoma & Ngulube, 2021) have also confirmed the extensive use of these theories in most LIS research. In terms of research methodology, the findings indicate that a significant proportion of the analyzed articles did not specify the research design employed.…”

“…In fact, the significance of theory is underscored by certain journals (e.g., Wiley), which exhibit a preference for articles that offer substantial theoretical contributions (Díaz Andrade et al, 2023). Although scholars have recognized the importance of applying theories in research, it is undeniable that there is a scarcity of explicit theories in the field of LIS as evidence from research (Hjørland, 2000;Lor, 2014;Roy & Mukhopadhyay, 2023) indicates. As a result, often theories from other disciplines such as psychology, sociology, or management are applied.…”

“…Some studies have attempted to list mostly dominating theories in most LIS research. In their study, for instance, Roy and Mukhopadhyay (2023) provide a list of the top most dominant theories preferred by LIS researchers. These theories include among others, Grounded theory, Learning theory, Activity theory, Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology Model, Adult Learning theory, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Diffusion of Innovations, Fuzzy set theory, Critical Race theory, Kuhlthau's theory of the information search process, Queer theory, Shannon's theory of communication, and Social Cognitive theory.…”