On the problem of domestic library science genesis and its scientific status

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the domestic library science formation and development. It reviews and analyzes the concept proposed by A. N. Vaneev, according to which librarianship has emerged as a branch of science. This concept is based on the following facts: first, on the etymology of the term «bibliotekovedenie» meaning the knowledge on library; secondly, on the opinion of a participant of the discussion that took place in print in 1865, that library science and its works were not possible; that in 1910-1920s it was dominated the view on the library science as a branch of knowledge, and in 1930s the library science was declared a bourgeois science. Therefore, only in 1960s, the library science began to take shape of a scientific discipline, resulting in the duality, to overcome which it was proposed to replace the term «bibliotekovedenie (studying library)» with the term «library science» by A. Vaneev. The concept analysis showed that it was not confirmed neither etymologically nor pictographically. The author's concept is proposed, according to which the library science was formed as a scientific discipline during the XIX century. First, it is based on the thesis that the concept «branch of knowledge» is a library classification notion, whereas the concept «scientific discipline» is a scientific term, therefore they cannot be opposed to each other; second, on the view of science as systematic and focused research activities of a particular subject area. Therefore, it arises when there is the identification of this subject area. Such are the aspects of library activities to ensure public interests in the sphere of science, education and enlightenment. In practice, this was manifested in the «governmentalization» of librarianship and subordinating it to the Ministry of education. Understanding the subject area of library science by scholars was in the mid XIX century. The systematic character of scientific knowledge was achieved by institutionalization, through vesting the leading libraries of the country functions of scientific institutions, creating the library communities, professional printing, etc. All this took place during the whole XIX century. Thus, according to the author's proposed concept the formation of national library science as a scientific discipline ended in the late XIX - early XX century finally.