Page 53 - Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.47, 2021

052 Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.13, 2021

first appeared in 1988 in HUANG Zongzhong’s Introduction to Library Science [1]3 . HUANG
[29]
further revised and improved this system in 2006 . In the more than 20 years from the end of
1980s to early 21st century, there have been many achievements in the research of the fundamental
theoretical system of library science. These research outcomes have basically jumped out of the
model of empirical library science, and turn to focusing on the issue of building disciplinary
theoretical system. However, it is not easy to reflect “Chinese features” in this “disciplinary-
paradigm-based” theoretical system. In 2007, FAN Bingsi, who advocates changing the research
paradigm of the fundamental theory of library science and reconstructs the system in the new
century, built a fundamental theoretical system of library science on the basis of the basic concepts
of modern library profession and library science [30] , which is a “conceptual paradigm-based”
new theoretical system that breaks the “discipline paradigm”. However, with the continuous
development of librarianship and the practice of library science, there have emerged many
new concepts, new categories and new theoretical propositions of library science with Chinese
characteristics, which requires innovations in theoretical systems to reflect the new developments
and provide “Chinese answers” to various “issues” in the current library science field. Therefore, it
remains an important issue to explore the framework of fundamental theoretical system of library
science with Chinese characteristics.
Based on the basic characteristics and concepts discussed above, the author believes that the
basic theoretical system of library science with Chinese characteristics should be composed of four
parts (see Figure 1): library science meta theory, library development theory, library governance
theory and library profession theory. Among them, library science metatheory plays a fundamental
and dominant role; library development theory, library governance theory and library profession
theory are the extension and development of library science metatheory.

3.1 Library science metatheory

Metatheory is a concept often mentioned in philosophy and social sciences, which takes theory as
the research object. “Metatheory is a kind of knowledge phenomenon and knowledge form with
universal significance that inevitably arises from the nature of human beings’ desire to understand
and continue to pursue understanding.” The task of metatheory is to “examine the argumentation
structure of the object theory, the composition, definition and proof methods of the basic concepts
and principles, analyze and reveal the various premises on which the theoretical argument
[31]
depends” . Metatheory of library science is the study of the basic concepts, the connotation and
composition, the basic research scope, the principle description method and methodology of basic
phenomena in the field of library science. It is the interpretation and explanation of the theoretical
logic of library science at the more fundamental and profound level, as well as the logical basis for
the construction of the theoretical system of library science. The library science metatheory itself is
also a system, which is generally composed of the following eight aspects.