Page 55 - Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.47, 2021

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

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combining the virtual and the real” ; still others regard the library as a kind of “external storage
and selection transmission mechanism of social memory” [11]58 . Then, should there be a permanent
definition of library? Can the definition of library evolve with the development of the times? Can
we find a definition of library that everyone can accept? Obviously, these are the issues that should
be addressed in the fundamental theories of library science.
It is the mission of scientific research to explore the essence of the research object. In the 1980s
and 1990s, the search for the essence of libraries was a hot topic in the fundamental theoretical
research of library science. In the early 21st century, a number of dissolving viewpoints appeared,
thus forming the debate between “essentialism” and “anti-essentialism”. “Essentialism” advocates
inquiring into the essence of the library, and believes that the features of all things are determined
by its inner essence, therefore “once this kind of essence is discovered, the development law of
the thing can be fully grasped and controlled” , the same goes for libraries. “Anti-essentialism”
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believes that the “essence” of the library that people seek is actually the product of people’s
subjective construction, not something inherent in the library itself. It therefore proposes to
abandon, deconstruct and no longer seek the essence of things, and deny the significance of
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research on the essence of library . So whether the essence of the library is real or fictional, what
is the significance of this questioning? If the essence of the library exists, then what is it? These are
also the issues that should be addressed in the fundamental theories of library science.
(2) The relationship between library and data-information-knowledge-intelligence
This is a question related to the library concept. Traditional libraries mainly regard documents
as their object of work, while modern library work focuses on the organization, management and
dissemination of information and knowledge contained in documents. Library science is considered
to be a discipline closely related to information management and knowledge management. With
the advent of the Internet and big data era, massive data has entered various fields of social
production and life, and has also become an integral part of the library resources system. Data
management has become an area that cannot be ignored in the field of library business. In recent
years, with the application of intelligent sensing technologies in libraries, such as the Internet
of Things, the concept of “smart library” has been proposed, and “intelligence” has also been
associated with libraries. So, what is the internal relationship among data, information, knowledge
and intelligence, and what is their relationship with libraries? Some studies believe that data-
information-knowledge-intelligence is a progressive transformation process . It is worthwhile to
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discuss the impact of this process on libraries.
(3) Social functions of the library
The social function of the library is actually what role the society requires the library to play.
Since it is a function endowed by society, it is certainly closely related to social progress and
changes. At different stages of social development, the library may expand or strengthen certain
functions, or weaken or even eliminate other functions, and the importance of each function may
also change.