Theory Development in the Information Sciences

Emerging as a discipline in the first half of the twentieth century, the information sciences study how people, groups, organizations, and governments create, share, disseminate, manage, search, access, evaluate, and protect information, as well as how different technologies and policies can facilitate and constrain these activities. Given the broad span of the information sciences, it is perhaps not surprising that there is no consensus regarding its underlying theory—the purposes of it, the types of it, or how one goes about developing new theories to talk about new research questions.

Diane H. Sonnenwald and the contributors to this volume seek to shed light on these issues by sharing reflections on the theory-development process. These reflections are not meant to revolve around data collection and analysis; rather, they focus on the struggles, challenges, successes, and excitement of developing theories. The particular theories that the contributors explore in their essays range widely, from theories of literacy and reading to theories of design and digital search. Several chapters engage with theories of the behavior of individuals and groups; some deal with processes of evaluation; others reflect on questions of design; and the rest treat cultural and scientific heritage. The ultimate goal, Sonnenwald writes in her introduction, is to “encourage, inspire, and assist individuals striving to develop and/or teach theory development.”

List of Figures
List of Tables
Acknowledgments
1. Exploring Theory Development: Learning from Diverse Masters (Diane H. Sonnenwald)
Part 1. Behavior of Individuals and Groups
2. Many Paths to Theory: The Creative Process in the Information Sciences (Marcia J. Bates)
3. Reflections on Theory Construction in Human Information Behavior: A Theory of Browsing (ShanJu Lin Chang)
4. Reflections on the Development of a Theoretical Perspective (Carol Collier Kuhlthau)
5. Converging on Theory from Four Sides (Gary M. Olson and Judith S. Olson)
Part 2. Evaluation
6. Drawing Graphs for Theory Development in Bibliometrics and Retrieval (Michael K. Buckland)
7. Two Views on Theory Development for Interactive Information Retrieval (Kalervo Järvelin)
8. Relevance: In Search of a Theoretical Foundation (Tefko Saracevic)
9. The Story of a Colony: Theory Development in Webometric Research (Mike Thelwall)
Part 3. Design
10. Theorizing the Unprecedented (John M. Carroll)
11. Appropriating Theory (Bonnie Nardi)
12. Theory for Design: The Case of Reading (Andrew Dillon)
Part 4. Cultural and Scientific Heritage
13. The Poverty of Theory; or, The Education of Jerome McGann (Jerome McGann)
14. Illuminating Daughter-Mother Narratives in Young Adult Fiction (Hilary S. Crew)
15. The Noblest Pleasure: Theories of Understanding in the Information Sciences (David Bawden)
16. Apologia pro Theoria Sua (Jack Meadows)
17. Supporting Future Theory Development (Diane H. Sonnenwald)
Notes on the Contributors
Index