Provides a much-needed discussion of the relationship between interpretation and the work done in library and information science (LIS). This book is an ambitious project, and it is a welcome and praiseworthy addition to the LIS literature....this text lays the groundwork for more interpretive work to emerge in LIS.

Information & Culture

A broad, well-balanced and sympathetic book about knowledge written especially for librarians and information scientists...the author is among the very few persons in LIS that are well qualified in philosophy, and this book reflects his qualificationsssss

Journal Of Documentation

...This is an important book...it will serve as an important starting point for discussions about the ongoing maturation of the field.

Portal: Libraries and the Academy

A very sounds intellectual guide through the philosophical bases upon which library and information science is grounded….An excellent guide to subtopics….a thorough and well-grounded review of a large and sophisticated literature characterized very well and brought legitimately to bear on the issues of theory and practice in LIS.

Progressive Librarian

Though he recognizes that the main purpose of his profession is to provide information and sources of information for clients, Budd (information science and learning technologies, U. of Missouri-Columbia) thinks it important for practitioners to think about the intellectual foundations that shape its practice. He begins with a look at science in general and more specifically social science, then considers how principles there can be applied to library and information science.

2001, Reference and Research Book News

A broad, well-balanced and sympathetic book about knowledge written especially for librarians and information scientists...the author is among the very few persons in LIS that are well qualified in philosophy, and this book reflects his qualifications

Journal Of Documentation