Spanning The Theory-Practice Divide In Library And Information Science

Crowley's pragmatic analysis has three basic purposes: to show why theory developed in academia is too little used off campus; to explore why it's in the interests of library faculty members, consultants, and practitioners to change this; and to provide suggestions for making academic theory and research more useful in nonacademic environments. He also addresses a primary roadblock to change--why theory that has little or no perceived relevance outside academe can be essential to career advancement in university contexts. It's a work, he writes, without villains; he notes that there are long-standing and understandable reasons for the mismatch between the imperatives of research and the needs of practice. He seeks not to close the divide, but to identify ways to bridge it. Crowley teaches library and information science at Dominican U., River Forest, IL. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Bill Crowley is a Professor at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois.