Scarecrow Press Spanning the Theory-Practice Divide in Library and Information Science

Reveals how practitioners, consultants, and faculty can derive theories from actual experience and use such theories in solving real world problems. Bill Crowley explores why theory, in particular theory developed by university and college faculty, is too little used in the off-campus world. The volume examines the importance of solving the theory irrelevance problem, and drawing on a broad spectrum of research and theoretical insights, it provides suggestions for overcoming the not-so-hidden secret of the academic world - why theory with little or no perceived relevance to off-campus environments can be absolutely essential to advancing faculty careers. It also addresses the implications for theory development of fundamental aspects of the American culture and economy, including: the American ambivalence towards intellectuals, the rise in the "theory-unfriendly" environments of for-profit educational institutions, and public demands for enhanced accountability. Review ...essential reading for LIS professionals interested in producing research and theory that are truly useful.--JASIST (Journal of the American Society for Information Science & Technology), February 2007 Library educator Bill Crowley examines why there has been a gulf between theory and practice in librarianship. In Spanning the Theory-Practice Divide in Library and Information Science, Crowley explains how practitioners as well as faculty can use theories derived from actual experience to solve real-world problems. He also considers why theory developed by academics is often overlooked by practitioners and addresses American ambivalence toward intellectuals.--American Libraries With so much of today's LIS literature devoted to the implementation of technology and its impact, it is refreshing to see this single-authored monograph solely devoted to promoting the value of theory in our profession....the book reflects an amazing depth of professional experience...highly recommended.--Journal of Academic Librarianship About the Author Bill Crowley is a Professor at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois.