11.1.1 The Purpose of the Theory

The purpose of the theory is to contribute to better understanding of relationships within the field. On the one hand, there is a need to clarify the relationships between the physical collection of a variety of records stored and served in the library and the formal, passive, and detached theory of librarianship. On the other hand, the theory in librarianship must relate to the subjective, dynamic, and personal involvement of library users. This relationship implies the existence of a potential knowledge embodied in librarianship, expressed in this book as a conceptual theory of librarianship. I consider librarianshi p as a discipline which includes all issues related to recorded knowledge and information.

The relational approach to the theory of librarianship has been anticipated in various forms before: Wellard (1934) distinguished between three approaches to philosophy of librarianship: (a) the factual or scientific, (b) the inductive or philosophical, and (c) practical approach based on expediency and assumptions. Miller (1936) warned about a too-narrow theory of librarianship built exclusively around th e concept of the library, and proposed a twofold 'book-reader' approach. Predeek (1939) over stressed the cultural factor by viewing the library as a protagonist of specific cultural values of citizenship and democracy. Bergen (1963) focused on integrating teacher-librarian functions.

The present study expands the above division of the field by rejecting a clean-cut Wellard's distinction between the scientific and philosophical approaches, proposing instead an all-inclusive, relational app roach that interrelates different theories in a single model, each theory accounting for different aspects or analysis of 'facts.' The model further expands the subject matter of librarianship beyond Miller's 'book-mindness,' by placing the model in a broadly defined intellectual environment. It considers Predeek's 'cultural values' as one of many attributes of knowledge, defining the term 'knowledge' not as an ideal aimed at, but as a totality of 'relations known,' already existing either in the records available in library collections or in the minds of the users of these records. And finally, the model differs from Bergen's teacher-librarian's merger by distinguishing between these two interdisciplinary relationships, thus acknowledging an independence of metalibrarianship from education.

11.1.2 Metatheory

Metatheory focuses on basic properties of a system. Based on logical analysis it develops theorems about a given system, rather than the theorem of, or within, the syste m itself.

Extended to the disciplines at large, metatheories form the bases for metasciences. Of particular interest in this book are the metascientific approaches to library and information science.

In information science, metascience consists of "simplifying and unifying theories that subsume the main concepts of the original theories" 1 providing the foundations for the discipline. Its main purposes, according to Otten and Debons, are to provide descriptio ns of common bases and a common language for communicating and translating scientific findings between different sciences. They call it 'informatology' a science of information that studies "the fundamental principles underlying the structure and the use of information."2

In librarianship, Kaplan defines metasciences as a basis for intellectual foundations in library science, which are "not about subject matters provided by man and nature, but about subject matters provided fundame ntally by our ideas about man and nature, or by our language, or by our ways of transmitting and processing the information."3

11.1.3 Meta-Library and Information Science

The primary function of both library and information sciences is to facilitate transfer of information from the source to its destination. The 'stuff' of the transfer in library science is the content of a record; in information science, it is often an undefined, energylike force. Consequent ly, the library processes consist of acquisition, organization, and dissemination of data, information, or knowledge in recorded formats; in information science the processes relate to the storage, retrieval, and dissemination of information itself.

The primary objective of library science is "to take the substantive problems of libraries and librarianship and apply to them the research methods that seem appropriate from other disciplines."4 In information science, the subj ect matter is "processes, methods, and laws related to the recording, analytical-synthetical processing, storage, and dissemination of scientific information, but not the scientific information as such, which is the attribute to a respective science or discipline."5

Taylor's added-value theory provides a link between the record-service oriented approach of library science and information-process oriented information science. The model consists of "a formal system made of specific p rocesses which add value to items being processed; user or sets of users, who . . . have certain problems which establish criteria for judging the utility of the system's output; [and] a negotiation space between system and users, where the system displays its output and the values accumulated through the system to assist users in making choices."6 Thus the model interrelates the user with the information processes. The interrelationship is in a form of advantages ('values added') of a give n system for a particular user's criteria of choice.7

11.2 Metalibrarianship

One of the dimensions of growth is its complexity. The bigger or older the institution, the more intricate its organization, the more elaborate its goals, and the more involved its ways of meeting these goals. This principle applies to librarianship, whether it is considered a discipline, an institution, or a service. Librarianship is here interpreted as a general discipline, and its e ssential characteristics are studied as a whole, with library and information sciences considered as sub-disciplines of the same basic philosophical approach. The two sub-disciplines merge in the unified theory.8

I call this all-inclusive intellectual discipline a metalibrarianship. Its basic components are derived by reducing the complexity of the field into its simplest parts, the 'roots' of that discipline. Since the complexity encompasses more than just the structure of physical library facilities, the term 'roots' refers not to empirically verified facts or measurable entities, but rather to the relationships between these facts or entities and their interpretations. Thus, the general concept of metalibrarianship is here defined as an interpretation of a discipline; the study of relationships between three primary elements in the process of transforming data, through information into knowledge (d-i-k transfer): (1) the participant in the transfer, the user or reader of the docume nt (alpha), (2) its content or subject matter (beta), and (3) the carrier of the description (a generic book, gamma). All these relations are considered simultaneously at three levels (a) procedural (Pd), describing an actual process of information transfer (d-i-k); (b) contextual (Cx), identifying the impact of environment on that process; and (c) conceptual (Co), defining its meaning to the participant in the process. The definition of metalibrarianship becomes more technical later in this book, reflect ing a more detailed study of relationships involved at different levels of analysis. 9

11.2.1 Methodology

The objective of methodology in this book is to develop a model for interrelating the relationships between the message contained in the record and the interpretation of its meaning by the receiver of that message.

The proposed model translates the meaning imbedded in these semantic relationships into specific library environment. The interpreta tion provided by the model is metaphysical, focusing on the essence of the relationships, while the approach is metaphorical, reflecting subjective perception of reality. The process is modeled on the methodology of the meta-mathematical study of relations between the logical, formal expressions and the objects they denote.

11.2.2 Geometric Method: Evolution of the Concepts

Mathematical method is based on logical deductions of theorems from sets of undefined properties, func tions, or relations and from unproved propositions about them, called axioms or postulates. The theorems refer to variable values represented by these postulates. The definitions of mathematical terms and their analysis follow logical principles.10

Both algebra and geometry are deductive disciplines; both deduce certain properties or relations from predefined conditions. Philosophically, both approaches are similar. Historically, Euclidean geometry was founded on the axiomatic met hod of accepting without proof certain properties or relations. Today, both disciplines are joined by the axiomatic method, although the geometrical approach tends to emphasize spatial relations, while algebra focuses on set theory. In a nonmathematical interpretation, the geometrical method offers, illustrations of metaphorical relations which are easier to visualize.

The origin of geometry and of many important theoretical concepts goes back to ancient Egyptian surveyors of the Nile, who deve loped empirical generalizations about the lines, angles, and figures used in their surveying operations (the concept of graphic symbols).

Greeks selected some of the Egyptian generalizations as basic laws, deducting new laws from them by means of logic, (the concept of deductive reasoning). Pythagoras (572-497 B.C.) organized new abstract concepts in a systematic order (the concept of a theoretical science), and Plato (387 B.C.) related abstract and timeless aspects of geometry to metaphysics (t he concept of metaphysical deductions and a priori forms).

Euclid (Elements, 300 B.C.) introduced synthetic geometry based on five unproved principles and five unproved axioms about these principles through rational insight and a synthetic a priori knowledge (the concept of axioms).

Descartes (Geometry, 1637), the father of analytical geometry, proposed that problems can be resolved by breaking them into constituent ideas ('coordinates'). Nothing should be accepted as t rue until there is no doubt about it (the concept of heuristic, analytical method).

Lobachevsky (c. 1825) and others established validity for a hyperbolic geometry with Euclid's parallel postulate, by replacing one of Euclid's axiom with its negation (the concept of non-Euclidean geometry).

Frege (1879) developed, independently of Boole, symbolic, or mathematical, logic, by using formalized logical language or calculus to avoid ambiguities of ordinary language. He made a distincti on between the name of the formula and the formula itself, establishing a notion of a formal, logical system as an accepted standard of precision in the foundations of mathematics.

Hilbert (1899) has proven the consistency of a system without assuming consistency of another system. He introduced the complete formalization of a deductive system by eliminating any meaning from its signs, called calculus. However, the relationships between these meaningless signs can be meaningful in meta-mathemat ical statements "about the signs occurring within a formalized mathematical system."11 Hilbert's proof of consistency is a meta-mathematical axiomatization: a process of abstracting some fundamental relations from the intuitive meaning of a term These relational structures are taken to be the immediate objects of the axiomatic theory. The approach is not considered as a system of statements about a subject matter, but as a system of conditions for the relational structures. The axioms impo se the conditions on the relations themselves. This approach is useful in natural sciences, where individual relations are interpreted in terms of their axioms.12

Einstein's relativity theory implies changing behavior of a straight line that is bent by gravitation (Einstein, 1920). Hence, the mathematical laws applied to real situations are not certain (the concept of relativity of any model).

Godel (1931) identified certain inherent limitations of the axiomatic method b y proving that it is impossible to formalize a consistency proof for a logical system within itself. In any formal system there is at least one formula whose existence or nonexistence cannot be proven. This theorem questioned Frege's notion that a formal logical system is an accepted standard of precision in the foundations of mathematics. Furthermore, it implies that human knowledge cannot be exclusively based on a deductive system. Consequently, computers, instructed by "fixed rules of inference of for malized axiomatic procedure," will never be able to solve all the problems. 13 Godel's incompleteness theorem shows that "there are innumerable problems in elementary number theory that fall outside the scope of a fixed axiomatic method."14 In other disciplines, dealing with more finite systems far removed from rigid mathematical formalization, the problem of consistency is less severe. It can, when needed, be dealt with by similar method of meta-analyses about thei r own logical systems.

Godel admitted that although his incompleteness theorem challenges the claim to absolute consistency of mathematical model, there is a possibility that "classes and concepts may . . . be conceived as real objects . . . existing independently of our definitions and constructions."15

This statement resembles Platonic realism, which maintains that mathematical concepts, e.g., a triangular shape of a physical body, exist not in the spatio-temporal u niverse, but as "merely imperfect embodiments of an indivisible 'perfect' triangle . . . and can be grasped solely by the exploring mind of the mathematician."16

Indirectly, the above statement relates to the notion of intuitive knowledge. Here, 'intuition' does not mean an unjustified 'hunch' or a mystical experience, but a Kantian notion of direct relations with an object, prior to mediation or judgment about it. This is similar to Russell's distinction between immediate "kno wledge by acquaintance" and mediated "knowledge by description" of the facts related to that object. This kind of knowledge is not a criterion for determining the truth of statements or observations, but merely an intuitive sensing of the possible existence of other relations.

This very sketchy review of the history of meta-mathematical methodology provides some encouragement for a metaphysical approach in my own model in the use of graphic symbols, metaphysical deductions, and a priori forms, a xioms, heuristic methods, and the distinction between knowledge by acquaintance and by description.

11.2.3 The Triadic Concept: 'Tria Juncta in Uno'

A comparison of two concepts related to each other in terms of the similarity or difference between them is interrelated by the third concept which modifies the relations by either weakening or strengthening it. In a binary system 'either a or b' requires the third component, c, which specifies the environment of the binary r elation, such as 'a & b' or 'a not b' under given condition, c. In Hegelian dialectics the opposite views must be linked by the third view in order to be meaningful; for example, something is either true or false, but only in a defined situation. Thus the third element in a triadic relationship provides a link between common denominators of the other two elements. It serves as a reference point for the binary relations.

The three-dimensionality of the model summarizes information input, visu alizes it, and provides a comprehensive view of the situation as a whole (gestalt). Usually, the human mind absorbs new ideas through visual presentation, which organizes information into patterns that match the familiar and visual three-dimensionality of the real world. Neurologically, patterns are received by the right hemisphere of the brain; if new information input disturbs the existing pattern, it is first analyzed by the left side of the brain, before modifying the existing knowledge pattern (Lee, 19 85).

11.2.4 Heuristic Value of the Triadic Approach

Barantsev offers philosophical endorsement of the value of the triadic approach. As he pointed out, the triad represents a unity of rational, emotional, and intuitive modes of thoughts, combining elementness, relatedness, and wholeness of any relations. It offers a synthetic definition of relations within any system by combining its analytical, qualitative, and substantial elements. "The presence of an additional para meter (mediator, agent) seems to be indispensable for the reconciliation of antitheses and attainment of an integral unity." 17 By reducing triadic relations to a binary of opposites, one weakens the correlative aspects of the relational wholeness.

The general concept of a 'system' implies a triadic reconciliation of contradictions between the parts and the whole via relations. For example, "books (and not only books) should be estimated by induced associations no less than by the amount of information and intensity of emotions. Similarly, when defining conceptual bases of physics we draw the conclusion, in the light of the system triad, that the concepts of substance and field should be supplemented by the equally fundamental concept of force."18 The triadic approach is subject to the threefold test of: (1) compatibility with other acceptable models of Library and Information Science; (2) consistency with actual library experiences; and (3) conduciveness towa rd a goal of identifying common denominators in a variety of d-i-k transfer.19

11.2.5 Assumptions

The model developed in this book is based on a series of provisional assumptions about the nature of metalibrarianship, and each assumption or hypothesis describes different sets of relationships.

a. Metaphysical Assumptions:
The essence of metalibrarianship is expressed symbolically in terms of basic relationships between carriers of inform ation (gamma, e.g., recorded data), and their meaning (beta, i.e., the content of recorded messages) as interpreted by their receiver (alpha, e.g., a reader of the book). The relationships are here discussed metaphysically. Each metaphysical theory is based on some conceptual metaphors, describing the relational analogy between the multivaried meanings of any concept and their interpretations, formulated from different perspectives. Metaphors offer an insight into the metaphysical reality by expanding it s previous relations into new interpretations.

b. Epistemological Assumptions
The origin, structure, methods, and validity of knowledge can be discussed at different levels (world hypotheses), each level reflecting different basic assumptions (root-metaphors) on which a particular viewpoint is based. Since metalibrarianship is an all-inclusive discipline, it must be open to all known approaches to knowledge within a given system.

c. Logical Assumptions
Metalibra rianship is perceived as a set of concepts (a system) that interrelates users' needs for information with the means available to them to obtain that information. What is essential is the relationship between the basic concepts, not the specific properties of these concepts. The relationships are analyzed on the two already-mentioned levels: (a) internal relationships between alpha, beta, and gamma, in their static and dynamic stages; and (b) external relationships between different sets of alpha-beta- gamma within the three types of reality: (1) procedural, physical, observable (Pd), (2) contextual, observable, cultural (Cx), and (3) conceptual, deductive, logical (Co).

11.3 Hypotheses

11.3.1 World Hypotheses

My model, initially outlined in my 1963 master's paper, is based on Pepper's concept of world hypotheses, and it resembles to some extent Popper's model as described by him in 1979 essay. Pepper identified five major world hypotheses: mechanism, formism, conte xtualism, organicism, and selectivism. The root-metaphors of the last two world hypotheses are incorporated in my study in contextualism. In my model organicism, the integration, by virtue of explaining away the time element from its contextualistic formulation, is a part of a 'historical event,' of contextualism. Selectivism relates to the purpose and self-regulating act, in what A. N. Whitehead calls 'actual occasion, ' and is also interpreted in our definition of contextualism.20

In the table below (Fig. 11-1), the three world hypotheses are described in terms of (a) the theories of reality in Pepper's hypothesis, (b) the nature of their perception in Popper's formulation and (c) kinds of interpretation in metalibrarianship. The corresponding root-metaphors reflect different ways of seeing these realities; as phenomena by Pepper, as states by Popper, and as changes in metalibrarianship. Consequently, the basic relationships within each hypothesis differ. Pepper focuses on logical interpretation of perceived facts; Popper emphasizes the relationships between real and thought products; while in metalibrarianship the meaning of relations among means, ends, is central.21

HYPOTHESIS	REALITY	ROOT - METAPHORS	FOCUS ON
a. Pepper's - Mechanism - Contextualism - Formism - Organicism	< br> - Naturalism - Pragmatism - Platonic Idealism - Absolute Idealism	- Machine - Historical Event - Similarity - Integration	- Facts - Perception - Logic - Appearance
b. Popper's - World 1 - World 2 - World 3	- Physical - Subjective - Objective	- Physical status - Mental status - Intelligible	- Real objects - Thought - Product
c. Metalibrary's - Proceduralism - Contextualism - Conceptualism	- Empirical - Pragmatic - Rational	- Process - Product - Relations	- Means-ends - Goals - Meaning

Fig. 11-1: Interpretation of Primitive Terms in World Hypotheses

In a broad sense, World 1 resembles our proceduralism, World 2 contextualism, and World 3 conceptualism. The major difference between the two approaches is in the purposes of each classification. Popper uses it to delineate three separate realities; we consider the division as three different levels of interpreting Popper's realities. Thus, e.g., each of Popper's worlds, World 1, World 2, or World 3, can be interpreted procedurally, contextually, or conceptually.

11.3.2 Metalibrary Hypotheses

Three questions are of importance in metalibrarianship.
(a) What is the knowledge sought, i.e., what are the patron's needs for information?
(b) What types of material best match these needs? and
(c) What are the relationships between types of materials needed by patrons and the role of librarians in that process?

The approach is based on the distinction between three types of realities:
(1) observable, physical,
(2) observable, cu ltural and
(3) reasoned, logical. [Fig. 11-2]

All types of reality are contained in three types of records: data (d), information, i.e., clusters of infoscripts (i), and knowledge (k), together constituting the metalibrary subject matters (d-i-k transfer). Individually, each reality is interpreted in terms of its own processes, environments, and meanings.

Metalibrarianship is an interdisciplinary field incorporating some aspects of (1) natural sciences (e.g., in the arrangement and organization of library records), (2) social sciences (in areas of access to, and service of, collection records), and (3) abstract sciences providing methods for interrelating above approaches (e.g., planning library organization and services).

11.3.3 Levels of Interpreting Library Reality

RELATIONS	REALITIES
	Observable Physical	Observable Cultural	Deductive Logical	Metalibrary Interpretation
Processes	Natural Sciences	External sense perception	Empirical Verification	Bibliographic Organization (Pd)
Environments	Social Sciences	Individual Society	Existential Behavior	Contextual Environment (Cx)
Meanings	Abstract Sciences	Intellectual Systems	Essential Relations	Conceptual Interpretation (Co)

Fig. 11-2: Interdependence among the three types of realities and metalibrarianship

As illustrated in Fig. 11-2, the reality of metalibrarianship is a metaphorical relationship between the three realities, physical, cultural, and logical. On the procedural, empirical level (Pd) i t consists of bibliographic organization of communication carriers such as books, films, or tapes. On the contextual level (Cx), the reality is considered in terms of the content of the communication carriers, in which the meaning contained in the carriers is interpreted within a given environment. On the conceptual level (Co), the meaning of each reality is interpreted in terms of the existing records describing different aspects of reality.

The empirical reality of librar ianship is expressed in library operations; the contextual, sociological reality refers to the subject content of a library collection; while conceptual, philosophical reality defined the library's basic function as a disseminator of the acquired and organized knowledge.

The three realities are deliberately juxtaposed between the two kinds of meanings: one expressing some established concept of reality, the other providing interpretation in accordance with the way it was experienced at the time . Together the two meanings suggest a new insight into the nature of reality. For example, the juxtaposition between the empirical and fictional concepts of reality with their objective or subjective interpretation may contradict the initial experience of a given reality by an individual; this produces a tension, which, in turn becomes an impetus for expanding the individual's knowledge by absorbing novel relationships in his or her constantly changing knowledge of reality.

All three types o f realities influence library operations, its environment, and the definition of the very meaning of the discipline. As indicated in Table 11-2 above, library processes involve physical records (book and nonbook formats), their content (across the spectrum of knowledge from scientific dissertations to the most practical manuals), and logical verification of the processes themselves (e.g., in determining the degree of relevance of library service). Similarly, the library environment, described within social sciences, involves individuals and their communities and is reflected in a variety of individual and group behavior. The meaning or the rationale for library existence is a subject for a dialogue in abstract sciences (dealing, for example, with the philosophical issues) about LS as an intellectual system (describing different levels of educational backgrounds and needs of its patrons), and it is defined in terms of basic relations between primary components of the discipline.

The study of the relationships between alpha, beta, and gamma is conducted on three different levels in order to consider the three basic functions of the library.
(a) The procurement of factual material for specific needs is determined by observable characteristics of the informational function of the library.
(b) The diffusion of knowledge is defined in terms of similarities between the available records and the expected information.
(c) Servicing individual patrons' informational needs is determined by the impact of alpha-beta-gamma relationships on the reader.

The overall effectiveness of library operations is based on the threefold approach:
(a) on empirical methods in determining the objectivity of the services,
(b) on conceptual evaluation of the social norms, and
(c) on pragmatic assessment of the value of the services to the individual library patron.

Variations in the criteria used in book selection illustrate differen ces among the above dimensions:
(a) Book selection for information purposes focuses primarily on certain concrete characteristics of a book determined by the purpose for which they are acquired (e.g., statistical survey or subject bibliography). The judgment 'this book is good' means here that it possesses certain definable, empirically observable properties.
(b) In selecting a book for its circulating value (e.g., from the best reading lists) the criterion is not a specific empiricall y tested or conceptual property of the book but the attitude toward it. 'This book is good' implies that it is good for somebody; it circulates.
(c) In focusing on the diffusion of certain social values, the selection is based on a rational comparison between available books in terms of the norms expressed by them. We select the book which is 'better than' the other because of the similarity between the content of the book and the values it expresses.

Consequently the alpha-beta-gam ma relationship is here defined by
(1) singling out measurable characteristics in the empirical method;
(2) listing its characteristics in the conceptual method, and
(3) determining the meaning of the relationship in terms of responses to it in the contextual approach.

11.3.3.1 The procedural approach originated in the pre-Socratic Greek notion of the existence of objects independently of our knowledge about them. It views the universe as a machine with individual parts operating according to predetermined patterns, and it focuses on ways of measuring these patterns. In metalibrarianship the procedural approach concentrates on a study of relations between the natural, physical properties of the alpha-beta-gamma relations, which can be quantitatively measured. It provides a scientific description in library operations by utilizing statistical tools. Its model is a machine: the subject matter of librarianship is a sum total of its various parts. It constitutes the theoreti cal background in organizing various library activities by determining needs for them and the most efficient ways of satisfying these needs.

Physical service to the patron is the main objective of the procedural approach. The better the mechanical arrangement, the more efficient is the service; the more empirical the study, the more verifiable are its results.

The significance of this approach is in abstracting the natural properties of the alpha-beta-gamma relations by studying t he relationships' aftereffects. It assumes causality of relations, i.e., each interaction between alpha, beta, and gamma becomes a cause for a change in the reader's behavior. By studying past effects one can estimate their causes and anticipate similar effects in the future. For example, a study of library use by different classes of readers can establish numerical relationships between the age groups of patrons and their circulation pattern.

The precision of the procedural method is proport ional to its scope. The smaller the sample tested, the more approximate are the results. The procedural approach differs from the conceptual approach in its interpretation of the similarities within the relationships. Whereas the conceptualist classifies the meaning of the relationships studied, the proceduralist merely describes them. Both proceduralism and conceptualism focus on relationships, while the contextual approach stresses their environment.

Proceduralism as a philosophical viewpoi nt was finalized in the 17th c. Newtonian mechanistic philosophy based on three basic axioms or laws. (1) 'inertia' states that the natural position of everything in nature is a status quo unless affected by the force impressed on it. (2) 'Mass multiplied by velocity' creates motion which changes in proportion to motive force. (3) Every action is accompanied by reaction. Hence all physical systems are masses in motion, defined by the formula of force (cause of acceleration) plus matter (its quantity). Newtonian principles were incorporated in 18th c. concept of physical chemistry and in 19th c. mechanistic biology and psychology. This led to the belief that living organisms are like machines, based on causal relations (change in A affects change in B). Early 20th-century social sciences followed Newtonian philosophy by applying it to the interpretation of social phenomena. Proceduralism is still considered a major philosophical viewpoint in the applied theory of librarianship.

11.3.3.2 Contextual Approach

The contextual approach is akin to British empiricism and American pragmatism. It is based on the assumption that no concept has meaning unless it is derived from, or applied to, some sensory impressions. For example, two words are different not only in relation to the thing they describe, but also in communicating different experiences. This approach differs radically from the other two by shifting the emphasis from the study of properties in the a lpha-beta-gamma relations to the evaluation of the effects of particular relations. This approach completely reversed the direction of analysis by focusing on individual, specific relationships. Instead of starting the analysis at the cause for the relation, the contextualist begins with the study of the effects of these relations, the actual reader's reactions to the material read.

The change is evaluated not in terms of procedural measurable expressions or conceptual similarity of mea ning, but in terms of its effectiveness in satisfying particular needs. It is a problem-solving approach, in which each problem is unique, calling for a different solution. The stress on immediacy of experience results in a subjective approach, which can adjust to the constantly changing situation. It is a synthetic method aiming at a mediation between the procedural, particular attributes of the alpha-beta-gamma relations and their conceptual, qualitative similarities.

Essential to the contextual approach is the time: now. It is a most practical approach, best reflecting day-to-day library operations. It is however here discussed not as an aspect of practical librarianship, but as one of the three approaches stressing the environment of the relationships. It provides a balance between the two contradictory forces in any scientific theory: between the expansion of the field's scope and the improvement of its precision. Consequently, if viewed as a library practice, void of scientific preci sion and logical consistency, contextualism would turn the library operations back to its pre-scientific stage of craftsmanship, preoccupied with the immediate effects of library service only.

On the other hand, if considered as an inseparable part of the three-dimensional metalibrarianship, contextualism becomes an essential blueprint for the theory of library management. It serves as a mediating concept between the two ideals of science: (a) the achievement of a total and purposeful knowledge , and (b) for a definite purpose: maximum adaptability. It is illustrated in library classification and cataloging that aims at a coverage of the total knowledge, organized in an easy-to-use system.

Although not explicitly stated, the dimensional relationships between the primary terms discussed here are present in a number of other library-related theories. For example, Dervin's model of neutral questioning is based on the three basic elements of 'sense-making' theory: the situation, the ga p, and the use. "The situation refers to those events in a person's life that create the context for a lack of sense, or a gap, i.e., an occurrence that raises questions." (The contextual environment.). "The gap, seen only in the mind's eye, is translated into question form during the reference interview, and the answer to the question may be seen as a bridge across the gap." (The conceptual focus.) "The third element . . . is the use that is made of the answer--what the seeker/user hopes to do after crossi ng the bridge." (The procedural application of information received.)22

11.3.3.3 Conceptual Approach

In metalibrarianship the conceptual approach studies the relationships between the intangible attributes of librarianship's subject matter. It is a qualitative approach, evaluating particular relationships among alpha, beta, and gamma, in terms of the degree of similarity between the corresponding properties of each. Its overall model is an ideal, hypothetical relationships between these properties (e.g., the perfect book is one which completely expresses intended ideas, exactly fulfilling the needs of the reader).

This approach provides bases for planning the best possible library organization, defining its goals (i.e., the most desirable objectives aimed at). Its main tool is a logical consistency in formulating a theory about alpha-beta-gamma relationships. The better developed the conceptual approach, the larger the scope of the disciplin e will be.

This is probably the oldest philosophical concept, dating from Pythagorean belief in the expression of a world-intelligence by the intelligible order of numbers, through Plato's definition of reality, up to the Hegelian notion of reality in terms of the categories of mind. In all of them, knowledge is conceived as the intuition of the necessary connections between sense-experiences and abstract ideas about them.

11.3.3.4 Limitations

Each of the above a pproaches is sufficient in interpreting the alpha-beta-gamma relationships from its own vantage point: library procedures are best accounted for by procedural, empirical method, its goals and objectives by conceptual formulation, and actual library practice in terms of a given library context. But none in isolation can satisfactorily address the whole range of alpha-beta-gamma relationships, since these relations are all equally determined by technical processes, standards, and services.

a. Procedural Limitations
Procedural limitations relate directly to their virtues: quantitative precision is void of the qualitative, conceptual, and subjective scope of contextuality. Essentially descriptive, empirical findings refer to alpha-beta-gamma properties in relation to some other previously determined standards of significance. Consequently, empirical evaluation of the significance of alpha-beta-gamma relationships is subject to the fallacy of shifting terms, since the same stat istical data cannot simultaneously both describe and explain the same phenomenon. For example, the question 'What is read in the library?' answered statistically cannot also answer the question 'Why is it read?.' Furthermore, a mere addition of various empirical findings does not define the totality of the alpha-beta-gamma relationship, since the arithmetical sum is quantitative, excluding conceptual and contextual values.

b. Conceptual Limitations
The basic limitation of this approac h is its 'totality' of the relationship under consideration. Totality is a dynamic state which changes constantly, with each experience, hence the conceptual relation is 'grasping' the totality of relations but only at any one particular time. This limitation is partially corrected by upgrading or revising the library's goals to stay abreast of the changing situation.

c. Contextual Limitations
Contextual limitations are created by the unpredictability of the behavior of an individual reader and consequently by the difficulty of predicting the demand for library resources and services. As a free agent, an individual reader exhibits motivation which is difficult to anticipate; contextual studies therefore focus on past patrons' behavior. This subjectivity can be minimized by balancing the contextual interpretation with the procedural measurements and conceptual valuation.

d. Overall Limitations
In summary the procedural approach gives us the method of opera tions, the conceptual the purpose, and the contextual the conduct of library operations. We determine library purposes by establishing similarities between given characteristics in the readers' environment and books selected by them. We then pinpoint similarities by using the empirical method to locate related characteristics and adjust library operations by an appropriately designed method of service.

Library practice translates these theoretical formulations into actual library situation s. Metalibrarianship focuses on the knowledge of relations between alpha-beta-gamma on three interdependent levels, as shown in Fig. 11-3, below.

11.4 The Conceptual Root-metaphor

In general, root-metaphors are the ultimate presuppositions of a frame of reference for a discourse; they serve as "linguistic orientations that provide a notational system in which c ertain kinds of data, and not others, appear as evidence."23 While the implicit root-metaphors are below the level of consciousness, the comprehensive "root-metaphors describe worlds, whereas models describe the contents of those worlds."24

The root-metaphor explains the essential metaphysical nature of metalibrarianship as a never-ending process of examining knowledge by relating less-known to more familiar experiences. The primary root-metaphor is the relationship between alpha-beta-gamma interpretation of the content of the message and the communication channel used, analyzed within the framework of the three world hypotheses. Each hypothesis is formulated in terms of its own, secondary root-metaphor: machine-like, quantitative properties in proceduralism; pragmatic, contextual relations viewed in terms of a particular 'communication act in the context'; and qualitative, conceptual aspects of relations perceived in terms of the root metaphor of simi larity.

11.4.1 Primary Root-metaphors25

The primary root-metaphors alpha, beta, and gamma represent the total, untapped, potentially available passive relationships. They can be transformed into interactive, specific relationships by coupling each element with another.

Elements alpha, beta, and gamma, related by the relation (R) are the primary elements of metalibrarianship; i.e., they are transplanted from other disciplines and are undefina ble within the system. Each of these elements always has to be considered within the triadic relations; none is meaningful by itself. The universe of discourse, the relation R(à, á, â) is the subject matter of the metalibrarianship.

The postulates of the model consist of a threefold interpretation of the relation:

(1)

R: (1) R = F(à, á, â)

(2)

(3)

So formulated, the statement of the relation determines the study of metalibrary subject matter on three independent levels: empirical, procedural (R1), contextual, pragmatic (R2), and con ceptual, theoretical (R3) relationships between à, á, and â. The above relationships are reciprocal, interrelating the scientific, philosophical, and practical levels.

11.4.2 Conceptual Root-metaphor Transfer 26

The conceptual root-metaphor transfer is a process of converting d-i-k relationship into its perception by an individual participant in the â-á-à process:

i.e., the d-i-k transfer is equivalent to à-á-â root-metaphors in terms of metalibrary modules, which defines these relationships. Fig. 11-4 illustrates various relationships in the process of the d-i-k transfer into the primary components of the root-metaphor model, à, á, â.

In the diagram the following symbols stand for:
â (carrier of the message-signal)
á (content of the message)
à (interpreter of the message)

S (signal)
M (message)
C (concept)
A (awareness of the stimulus)
D (description of the message)
I (interpretation of the message)

d (data) is defined by a triangle â-A-S i.e., as an awareness (A) of a signal (S) present in the carrier (â) (Signal is interpreted in terms of Shannon's theory.)

i (information cluster) is defined by a triangle á-D-M), i.e., as a description (D) of the meaning (M) of the con tent of the message (á) (Information cluster was defined in Chapter 10.)

k (knowledge) is defined by a triangle à-I-C i.e., as an interpretation (I) of the concept emerging from the content of the message (C) by the interpreter of the transfer (à) (Knowledge is defined as relations known.)

The process involves three levels of interpretation:


(1) Extrinsic description of d-i-k transfer: â (carrier)---A (awareness of)---S (signal)

(2) Intrinsic description of d-i-k transfer: á (content)---D (description of)---M(message)

(3) Insight into the meaning of the message: à (interpreter)---I (interpretation)---C (concept)

The relationships manifest a structural unity, which resembles A ristotelian aesthetic principles of dramatic structure:

(1) unity of time (or a moment): à + á + â relates to specific instant relationship

(2) unity of location (or space): A + D + I relates to specific environment of relationship

(3) unity of action (or a process): A + M + C relates to specific information transfer

The d-i-k transfer consists of three phases:
(1) an initial, static, relationships: â - á - à ;

(2) co nverted through an awareness of the signal in the carrier, described by its content, and interpreted by the receiver of the message, A-D-I;

(3) completing the d-i-k transfer into stimulus-its meaning and new concept (S-M-C).

The starting point in the d-i-k transfer is the perception (awareness, A) of data in a form of a symbol (printed characters, painted form, sounds, etc.) encoded in the carrier (â). It follows by the description (D) of the content (á) of the message (M). The process is completed by the receiver of the signal (à) interpreting (I) the message into an understood concept (C).

Thus, an initially passive alpha-beta-gamma relationship is transformed metaphorically into an active relationship between the concept-message-and its receiver, initiated by the d-i-k process.

A concept is initially formulated in the mind of its creator. It is an idea expressing some aspects of the physical as well as the nonmaterial reality, and it may be considered in the cont ext of the discipline to which it refers, such as specialized concepts in sciences, art, music, literature, or library science.

Each interpretation of concepts is also subject to the internal idiosyncrasies of its own discipline. The meaning of the concept (M) is expressed as a message recorded in one of many communication media, such as a book, a painting, a film, or a compact disk. Its meaning, however, is metaphorical, since it bridges the intent of the originator's ideas, with the interp retation of the message in the medium (M) by its receiver. The response to the original concept may be in the form of a behavioral reaction of an individual (e.g., a reader of the book, or a listener to the symphony), of a group of individuals (expressed, for example, by passing a resolution by a community of individuals as a whole), or of the whole society, illustrated by the mores of that society. The response may at the same time initiate new concepts, as a part of a chain of conceptual sequences in the development of knowledge.

The triangular relationships point to their basic interdependence. Thus the artist's concept, for example, is influenced by the medium in which the concept will be expressed, and its meaning will vary with the interpretation made by the viewer of the work. The meaning of the relationship is also directly affected by the level of communication discourse (ADI): starting with an intuitive awareness of the relationship at the level of acquaintance (A), furthe r elaborated by the metaphoric and subjective interpretation of the meaning at the descriptive level (D), and cumulating in the form of a symbolic representation of the relationship at the informative level of discourse (I).

11.4.3 The End-results

The model suggests its own metaphysical answers to the basic philosophical questions:

(a) It defines metalibrarianship as a metaphysical inquiry into the meaning of the discipline. In this sense, meta-librarianship is a st udy of a unique relationship as it is expressed in the model by interdependence within a communicative discourse;

(b) It provides a philosophical explanation of metalibrarianship as a domain of epistemological study of differences between various relationships within the model, as they are revealed in a metaphoric approach. This explanation is formulated in the language of specific disciplines. The scientific inquiry may ask why some of the relationships suggested by the model do exist. In the s ociological approach one may ask what is the meaning of the relationship in a societal context. A psychological investigation may concentrate on the same question, but analyze it within an individual's own human context.

(c) It suggests a justification of metalibrarianship as a discipline in terms of an axiological, value-oriented equity. Together with other disciplines, metalibrarianship is evaluated in terms of its service to the society. Its overall aim is to maximize the availability o f knowledge to individuals and, through them, to social groups, thus implying an ideal interdisciplinary and cross-cultural language of communication which will offer an insight into the meaning of the communication message, free of restraints of any kind.

The relations in metalibrarianship reflect a psychological, introceptive process of fusing the external perception of reality with its subjective image. In this process, mind is associated with the object of its cognition. The focus of all the se processes is on

(a) a cognoscendum, the object of the cognition of the content of recorded message,
(b) on an intervening agent, and
(c) on a physical format of the information carrier as it is perceived by an individual interpreting the relations.

A cognoscendum can be real and existent, abstract and ideological, or fictitious and imaginative. It is expressed in this book in a form of d-i-k transfer, its meaning, and the level of introceptive cognition.

D-i-k transfer describes the procedural process of communicating messages to their recipients. It is a process of introception. Conceptual root-metaphor defines basic conceptual relations in the introceptive processes. Psychologically, introception refers to the processes of adapting social values to one's own motivation. Sociologically, it relates to an individual's degree of conformity of behavior with that of an individual's peer group.

Metalibrarianship can be justified if it can communicate universally, at different levels, on different issues, seen from different viewpoints. The metaphorical method offers that flexibility; it also offers an unrestricted insight to the meaning of words that are communicated, reflecting variations in cultural and personal needs of individual library users.

11.5 Metalibrary System27

11.5.1 Introduction

Kenneth Boulding (1956) identifies two methods of organizing theoretical systems. One is based on selec ted phenomena common to many disciplines. The other arranges various theories by the degree of complexity in organizing their basic concepts. In each case a hierarchical structure would reveal gaps in the theoretical structuring of such disciplines. "Even at the simplest level, . . . the problem of the adequate description of complex structures is still far from solved. The theory of indexing and cataloging, for instance, is only in its infancy. Librarians are fairly good at cataloging books . . . [However, ] the cataloging of events, ideas, [and] theories . . . has hardly begun."28

In this section the meanings of library concepts are defined by delineating some essential characteristics of the metalibrary system. The conceptual relationship is here defined in terms of the internal similarities between alpha, beta, and gamma and their external descriptions.

11.5.2 The Subject Matter of Metalibrarianship29

The subject matter of metalibr arianship (d-i-k) is restricted exclusively to the characteristics shared in common by a medium of communication (a generic book), the subject it refers to, and the particular reader.

Metalibrarianship is an eclectic discipline. Each of the above primitive terms is initially a subject matter of different disciplines: The reader (alpha) is a focus of studies by behavioral disciplines such as psychology and education. The carrier's content (beta) is of interest to a variety of disciplines from ab normal psychology to zymurgy. Physical aspects of the knowledge carriers (gamma) are studied by empirical or applied sciences such as typography.30

11.5.3 Internal Relationships

11.5.3.1 Constituents

The conceptual relationship between alpha, beta, and gamma is discussed in terms of its four constituents:

(1) need (N), an awareness of a necessity to attain certain goals;
(2) a goal (G), a specific end or objective sought;
(3) means (M), an act, instrument, or method used in attaining the goal; and
(4) fulfillment (F), the state of actual completion of a task at any given moment.

The constituents can be considered as universal components in the alpha-beta-gamma relationship, since each is present in every library situation. For example, a library patron is motivated by a need to use the facilities of the library in terms of specific goals, the fulfillment of which is related to the use of the means (facilities) of fered by the library. Similarly, each library procedure is originated by a need to achieve certain objectives that designate the means for fulfilling them.

11.5.3.2 Attributes

The degree of interrelationship among the four constituents can be expressed in terms of the three universal elementary attributes of
(1) efficiency (e) of a particular means in reaching the goals or its complement, waste (w);
(2) satisfaction (s) expressing the degree of fulfilment of a need or its complement, dissatisfaction (d); and
(3) lacuna (l) indicating the disparity between goals aimed at (g), and the degree of their fulfillment or its complement, achievement (a).

11.5.3.3 Definition of a Metalibrary System

A conceptual library system, defined in the above terms, is illustrated by Fig. 11-5: Conceptual Relationships Between Elements in Metalibrarianship.31

In this illustration, the system it self is enclosed within a triangular pyramid (FGMN) that represents the total relationship between the subsystems alpha (FGN), beta (FNM), and gamma (FGM) in terms of elements F, G, M, and N and their attributes, e, a, and s.

Thus, a carrier of information gamma (e.g., a book) can be defined in this system as a means M employed for the achievement of goal G. Its efficiency e is related to the gap l between goal G and its fulfillment F.

The library user alpha is conceived as an agent fulfilling his needs N to obtain the goal G. The agent's satisfaction s represents the degree of fulfilling the goals (g) and its achievement (l).

The content of the carrier, beta, transacted in the library is interpreted as the information contained in the carrier of information, gamma, fulfilling the need of the user, alpha. The transaction is evaluated in terms of its efficiency e and the satisfaction s resulting from that fulfillment.

Central in this model is the study of the notion of a system, not its component parts. The objective is to isolate and analyze conceptual forces shaping a given pattern of behavior within the system. It is analogous to the study of the behavior of a magnetic field considered independently from the metallic substances or electric sources which generate the magnetic force. Thus, here the attention is focused not on the properties of elements making up the library system, but on the internal forces within the library system that are responsible for ce rtain static or dynamic relations.

11.5.3.4 Conceptual Classification

The primitive terms are here considered as the primary elements of library science, each meaningful only in terms of triadic relations. [Fig. 11-6] We are not concerned with the carriers of information gamma, the user of library material beta, or the knowledge sought beta as such, but in the relations between them. Similarly, the efficiency e, satisfaction s, and the achievement a, can each be defined onl y in terms of the other two attributes.

Approach	Primitive Terms	Relations Between	Formators (Constituents)
Quatitative (Primary)	alpha beta gamma	GMN	N M G
Qualitative (Secondary)	e; w s; d a; l	FGM FGN FMN	F

Fig. 11-6: Conceptual Classification

Each complex relationship becomes an autonomous subsystem of the library system. Each subsystem can be analyzed in terms of its constituent relationship.

The formators are the specific constituents of the primitive terms. They are indispensable in the definitions, or in the formulation, of the primitive terms. Thus, need, means, goals, and fulfillment are the components of the relationship between primitive terms alpha, beta, and gamma within the secondary terms e, s, and a.

The distinction between the quantitative approaches points out to two kinds of variations in the primitive terms:
(1) variations in the degree of extensive 'quantity' expressible numerically (primary terms) and
(2) variation in the kind of intensive 'quality.', a nonnumerical expression of accomplishment and it s significance (secondary terms).

The use of the notion 'quality' and 'quantity' is relative. Calling the primary terms quantitative is not meant to endow them with a physical or measurable existence, but rather to point out that they exist on a somewhat lower level of abstraction than the secondary terms. For example, gamma could be interpreted as some sort of statistical representative of books in general, or alpha as an average user, while e can only be interpreted after gamma has been define d.

Both the quantitative and the qualitative approaches deal with the formators (F, G, M, N) that are inherent in, and inseparable from, any relationship. Thus, no conceptual relationship between alpha, beta, and gamma can be perceived in Library Information Science without considering F, M, N, and G. Furthermore, any specific relationship between alpha, beta, and gamma can be discussed only in terms of the corresponding M, N, and G.

Library Information Science is a service-oriented discipline, and any evaluative approach involves an estimation of success in performing certain tasks. Thus, the qualitative approach is always related to fulfilment F, which influences highly variable qualities of e, s, and a and is dependent on a specific configuration within the relationship itself.

The quantitative approach is basically a procedural study of physical properties, while the qualitative approach is essentially a contextual study of the effect of given properties on the ove rall relationship.

These two approaches are familiar to librarians in areas of the theory of applied librarianship and in sociological evaluation of Library Information Science. Although they are not the subject of direct concern in this chapter, their conceptual interpretation is at the core of the model.

11.5.4 Laws Governing Basic Relations

Fundamental relationships between the constituents and their attributes can be analyzed at three different levels: structu ral, operational, and evaluational.

Basic Law of Structure. The conceptual interrelationship between the basic constituents (F,G,M,N) defines a library system at any given point and can be expressed symbolically as:

(alpha + beta + gamma ) = (delta) where delta = 'degree of competence'

If delta is constant, any change in the total configuration of primary terms (alpha-beta-gamma) result s in a change in the total configuration of secondary terms (s+e+a), and conversely, any change in the secondary terms affects the total configuration of primary terms. In interpreting the terms as components of the diagram, we see that any change in the formators affects the configuration.

Operational Law.The operational interrelationship between the primitive terms alpha, beta, and gamma define a given library system in terms of the quantitative characteristics of each term. These quant itative characteristics are expressed in terms of their impact on the total alpha-beta-gamma relationship.

Proposition (Operational law):

delta
alpha+beta+gamma = omega; where omega = ---------
s+e+a

Valuational law. The valuational interrelationship between the attributes e, s, and a in any given library system de fines the qualitative characteristics of each primitive term. Since e, s, and a converge at the point F, the fulfillment of the goal becomes a common denominator for each attribute.

Proposition (Valuational law):

delta
s + e + a = $; where $ = ----------------
alpha+beta+gamma

The Basic Law of Structure and its two derivatives may help clarify some of the commonly held misconceptions about library competence, such as a notion that the competence of a particular library can be improved by manipulating its basic components. Yet, means M, needs N, goals G, and their fulfillment F, are the formators of library operation in the same way that the horsepower of an engine determines the optimum power of a car. Library performance is manifested by its operations within prescribed limits of M, N, G, and F. To claim the ability to change these limits is to consider oneself external to the library system.

Another mistaken notion is the view that one may have an excellent library in a mediocre university. The degree of competence is defined in the Basic Law of Structure in terms of the totality of alpha-beta-gamma and s-e-a characteristics. Each of these two groups of factors can be visualized as proverbial black boxes. The conceptual excellence is measured in terms of relationships between the contents of these two boxes. In e ach of them, the library user, his interest in the services offered by the library, and the library's success in meeting these needs are important factors of excellence. A well-selected collection with a high-level service organization above and beyond the needs of its users is no more useful to a service institution than a cannon is useful in hunting pigeons. Both are conceptually wasteful.

Any attempt to develop formulas for measuring the competence of a library in terms of physical volumes in its collection overlooks essential characteristics of competence: the fact that the size of the collection gamma, is related not only to the number of potential users alpha, and the fields of curricula concentration beta, but it also reflects the efficiency of a particular collection, e, in contributing to the user's satisfaction s, in achieving the goal a. These are subjective but yet essential attributes of library service. An increase in the number of physical volumes may increase the degree of comp etence, if s, e, and a remain constant (i.e., additions of well-selected volumes in terms of s, e, a).

An increase in the competence may also be achieved by improvement in s, e, a with alpha-beta-gamma constant (e.g., through improved accessibility to the collection). But the measurement of the competence itself (the consideration of the value of delta) can be expressed satisfactorily only in terms of all the elements of competence. Hence, each competence is defined in terms of certain qualific ations in addition to minimal specific requirements; competent art collection is distinguished not only by the number of paintings it contains, but also by the number of outstanding esthetic characteristics of each painting.

Any formula for minimum adequacy is, at best, an educated guess about what size library collection provides enough variety to satisfy the needs of the average user. In effect such formulas suggest the optimum size for minimal needs.

11.5.5 A Pattern of Changi ng Concepts

11.5.5.1 General Systems

The conceptual development of a metalibrary model is governed by principles that are equally valid for any other theoretical system. The generalizations concerning patterns of change are formulated by general systems theory and are supported by historical observations of the development of scientific thought. Many similar general conceptions have developed in different disciplines independently of each other (Bertalanffy, 1950).

The obj ective of this model is to attempt to trace some of the principles governing the dynamics of library change as here interpreted. They can be formulated by analogy with general systems theory. The analogy rests on three assumptions that:

(1) a correspondence exists between quantitative aspects of physical structure and abstract concepts in a metalibrary model;
(2) a similarity exists between the qualitative behavior of physical systems and the conceptual behavior of abstract systems; and
(3) concepts in Library Information Science are constructed in terms of 'facts' which exist independently of our theories about them.

One major difference between the two approaches, however, is in the interpretation of reality. In metalibrarianship, physical models are related to conceptual reality, but some general system models adapt conceptual models to physical reality while our conceptual models relate physical models to conceptual reality.

11.4.5.2.Meaning of concepts

The degree of meaningfulness of a concept is always measured in terms of the elements of which it is constituted. If a concept contains no elements, it is meaningless; if it has one element, its meaning is arbitrary; if concepts have two elements, there is only a tentative definition of their meaning. Thus, the meaningfulness of a concept is related to its complexity.

The significance of meaning is perhaps best emphasized by realizing that it indicates a relationship. Thus, a gam ma with reference to itself is an arbitrary statement (e.g., 'a book is a book'); while a gamma referred to an alpha (e.g., a book for its user) communicates a synonymy that relates a book to a user in a very loose sense. It is for this reason that the present theory is based on the relationships between at least three elements, alpha-beta-gamma (e.g., the book's content for its user). This is the smallest and least complex primitive relation that is meaningful.

11.5.5.3 Subsystems of the Mod el

Each of the primitive terms (alpha, beta, gamma) could be analyzed in terms of its own component parts (e.g., size, quality, and weight of the paper, type of the printing in gamma), which in turn, could be expanded to other fields (e.g., theory in book making). In this essay, the internal characteristics of alpha, beta, and gamma are significant only in terms of their interrelations (i.e., the size of the book or the quality of the print are important only in a sense of affecting th e extent of content of the message transmission, beta, to the user, alpha). Hence, no further analyses, beyond alpha-beta-gamma and its subdivisions, are carried out in this essay. In s, e and a, each element can refer to at least one alpha-beta-gamma relation (e.g., satisfaction of the user, alpha in his selection of a given carrier of information, gamma is determined by the quality and amount of content of the message provided by beta).

For this reason, s, e, and a, can be studied separately e ach as a subsystem of the total library system. Changes affected by s, e, and a of the library system do not alter the basic library structure, since they are confined to these three basic subsystems. Thus a study of library change involves the study of internal changes in the three subsystems s, e and a.

11.5.5.4 Degrees of Dependence and Structure

Any two concepts are independent of each other if they have no common components. The subsystems s, e, and a, are not indep endent of each other since all three share the component F. Also, as stated in Proposition 2, the behavior of any of the three subsystems affects the other two. The degree of structuring in the primary terms alpha, beta, and gamma determines to some extent the degree of complexity of the subsystems s, e and a and their interdependence on each other. That is, the more structure there is inherent to alpha-beta-gamma, the greater is the capacity of s-e-a for more constituent relations and hence greater comp lexity.

In the library systems of primary terms (GMN), the unstructured concept of the user stands for the sum of mutually exclusive elements such as young readers, female patrons, professional library users, etc. This concept of user is expressed statistically as the total number of people requesting a service. The structured concept of the faculty user in the university library, on the other hand, is defined by the interrelationship of various demands imposed on the library by its faculty. For example, a faculty member as a teacher may seek instructional material (e.g., asking for secondary sources such as textbooks), while the same faculty member, as a researcher, may also seek original material (i.e., primary sources, such as dissertation or experimental reports).

The interplay between those roles can be illustrated by the demands of a teacher-researchers in a graduate program. The relationship of their pedagogical interests and their research involvement affects their interest in doctoral students. This, in turn, sparks a demand for library material which is too advanced for the courses they teach, yet too elementary for their own research. Thus, the structured concept of the faculty user reflects, in an essential way, various interrelated roles of a faculty member, and cannot be treated merely as a statistical sum of specific elements.

11.5.5.5 Change in Systems

A significant change in a subsystem can be defined as a change in its complexity, where a positive change increases, and negative change decreases, the number of relevant relations that make up a subsystem. A steady state exists when the complexity of the system remains constant. For example, a positive development in satisfaction s can be affected by intensifying the involvement of gamma with F by finding a more readable or informative book or by displaying a book to make it more accessible. In either case, new ways of involving the 'book' in the process of 'fulfillment' are brought into play , thus increasing the number of relevant relations encompassed by the s of the system. In this sense, for example, the microform may replace the book-form as a more convenient method of storing information or as a more useful tool for the reader. Only if both the storage and use of the microform become more satisfactory than those of the book-form can it replace the book-form as an accepted carrier of information. This is the principle that explains the evolution of the concept of the book-form from pa pyrus, clay tablets, and parchment to the paper format and computer data.

11.5.5.6 Equilibrium

The library system aims at the increase of the totality of s, e, and a. It acts to counter d, w, and l. Although dissatisfaction, waste, and lacuna can never be eliminated completely from a given library system, there may be certain configurations for which any small change will produce an increase in the totality of d, w, and l. Such configurations are called positions of relative equ ilibrium: a library system will not move from a state of equilibrium of its own accord. However, it is important to realize that while configurations near equilibrium may have larger total d, w, and l, there may be other configurations not so near to the equilibrium that actually have a smaller total d, w, and l. A configuration with the lowest possible d, w, and l is called a point of absolute equilibrium and can be regarded in some sense as the best possible state of a given system.

The concept of equilibrium may be illustrated by analogy with the differences between traditional and progressive library organizations. A conceptually traditional library operates within rules established long ago. A user is viewed as a stereotype with predictable needs, and the types of services offered are well fossilized. The expansion of services is not anticipated; curtailment would meet user resistance, forcing the library to return to the old ways of service.

A progressive library challenges the static concept by searching for new equilibrium between alpha-beta-gamma and s-e-a. However, the dynamism of this approach is not a mere expansion of external factors such as enlarged library budget, or changing profile of the undergraduate student, since one can expand the pyramid NMGF by stretching its points proportionally, without altering the internal equilibrium. The dynamism of such a change is in the rearrangement (not the addition) of factors already in the system.

11.5.6 Extern al Change

The concept of equilibrium controls the internal change of a given system, for within the context of a given M, N, and G, changes take place in the subsystems until the total complexity of the subsystems s, e, and a is maximized.

However, it is also possible that the external conditions of the library may change in some sense so that what was formally an equilibrium state becomes disequilibrium. For example, a change in the quality of a university may result in a revi sion of its library goals, affecting the G-F disparity and the total s-e-a configuration. Soon the system will undergo internal change seeking new equilibrium.

11.5.6.1 Leading Elements

Within each subsystem, different constituent relations are endowed with differing relative weights, contributing more to its complexity than others. For example, in the illustration of the development of microforms vs. book-forms, the physical space occupied by a carrier of information, up to a certain critical size (of the collection), contributes less to its effectiveness, than, e.g., its physical durability or the ease of reading.

However, at some point in the growth of a collection (and in the technological development of microforms), the consideration of space may take on new importance. Thus, the effectiveness of a particular form (book-form) of gamma may change drastically relative to other forms of gamma.

11.5.6.2 Principles of change:

(a) Principle of internal change: A given library system (N,M, and G fixed) will change so as to increase the total complexity of its subsystems a, e, and a (a positive change);

(b) Corollary: A library system will not normally move from a state of equilibrium;

(c) Principle of external change: a change in the formators (N-M-G) changes the basic library system and induces change by altering placement of equilibrium.

The mo re traditional the library system, the more stationary are its component parts. One can change the status quo only by addressing oneself to the aspects of s, e, and a that were neglected previously. For example, a search for the greater efficiency of technical services results in a more complex e, which in turn affects the s and a. In the traditional concept of cataloging, for example, the quality of the information on a cataloging card was more important than the number of cards processed. Hence, a simplif ication of descriptive rule was more significant than the issue of speed of cataloging. In a more recent computer approach, the use of Library of Congress entries resolved the problem of quality cataloging at the local library level. This allowed the individual library to concentrate on the problems of quality of original cataloging, and improvements in the network technology affected technical services more than ever before.

With the use of on-line cataloging, verification of an entry with a b ook at hand becomes the main quality factor. In the case of a traditional library, a small change in rules of corporate entry would be far more significant than the introduction of new computer technology. In a progressive library, a major change from ALA to AA rules of descriptive cataloging was more or less taken for granted, since it was incorporated in the L.C. entry and accepted by the individual library 'as is'. Instead, the attention is now focused on technology (e.g., the application of new computer strategy or network system), since the modification in this area may have a greater impact on the total services of a given library.

All three principles are illustrated indirectly in the major shift of interest in the debate on computer applications to library operations. A whole range of issues, from the concept of main entry through filing rules to details affecting the aesthetic appearance of a catalog card are being revised in terms of their adaptability to the computer system. Modern conc epts, such as central processing, may alter considerably the relative significance of a number of elements in the library system through an external change within the subsystems (s, e, a).

It may be noted that the retention of the alpha-beta-gamma concept of the library system is critical in these changes. If, for example, the factor of cost is dominant in the centralized approach, it may overshadow the consideration of service to the library user. The profit motive of a commercial approach is n ot necessarily synonymous with the real needs of the library patron.

Thus, for example, subsidized by the library, commercial services that provide electronic retrieval of information directly to the user are utilized by the patrons more than if they were offered manually for a fee. Furthermore, if such technology is developed as a means for fulfilling the goals for which the information is sought, it would supplement the role prescribed by the present library system. However, if the technology bec ame a goal in itself, persuading or forcing the user to change his goals to satisfy those of the 'new approach,' (as in cases of not-so-friendly computer systems), it would replace the concept of the library system with a concept foreign to the philosophy of contemporary librarianship, and would not be easily adapted by the patrons.

11.6 Modality of Discourse in Metalibrarianship.32

11.6.1 A Framework

Communication in metalibrarianship is her e defined as a link between the idea expressed in a recorded message and its recipient. The discourse itself is characterized by at least four unique futures.

(1) It is always initiated by a recipient of a message, and its duration is determined by the recipient's degree of receptiveness to the carriers of information. A book is a passive participant in a metalibrary dialogue; it cannot start or terminate the dialogue, nor can it regulate the amount of information that can be communic ated to its readers. The book can, however, be more or less attractive by means of its format, style, and the subject of its content. It is the recipient of a message who determines his relations to that message and not vice versa.

(2) The library communication is an act, influenced not only by the content of the carriers of messages and their recipients' degree of receptiveness, but also by the contemporaneousness of the dialogue, its existence now, and not when the message was originally formu lated or printed. The metalibrary discourse involves a number of specific conditions, such as the degree of intellectual curiosity and psychological mood of the reader, the conduciveness of the reading environment to meaningful communication, or the impact of events preceding the act of reading. The dialogue depends on a degree of synchronization between the reader of the book and the message formulated by the author at any given instance of communication.

(3) The meaning of the message emerg ing from a metalibrary dialogue is metaphorical. It is a product of both the original concepts, expressed in a recorded message, and the recipient's own interpretation of that message. The book can be read many times by the same reader, each time revealing different meaning. Similarly, the same book read by two different people will most probably be interpreted differently by each person. Communicated meaning cannot ever be repeated exactly.

(4) The dialogue is one-directional, from the con cept (C), as formulated by its creator, and communicated through the message (ME), to its recipient (R). 33

C ----> M ----> R

So, although started by the library patron at the time of noticing the book, the discourse begins with the message and is sustained by the reader. The reverse direction, the reading into the message, is not a dialogue, but a form of a soliloquy. An individual book in a library collection, like any ob ject of art, must first be identified by the library user for its potential value to him. It is the user of a collection who not only selects a particular book in a collection but is also willing to receive its message. The dialogue between the book and its reader, in the objective sense, requires the reader to 'tune' his thinking to that of the author of the message. Yet, in part it is also a subjective communication, imposing the reader's own perception on the meaning embodied in the message; the res ult is a communication of some meaning new to the reader, a kind of a metaphorical discovery.

This is a unique situation, one in which a library user not only must be motivated by some subjective, intellectual need to satisfy his own desires, but also must have enough objectivity to be able to modify his perceptions by newly learned facts or ideas.

11.6.2 Objectives

The ultimate objective of any theory in library science is to provide a framework for a mediation between the concept (C), its meaning, the message (M), and the reader's response to the message (R). Thus, the subject matter of any philosophy of librarianship must include a study of relations between two kinds of reality: (a) a physical reality of a given, empirically determined state of knowledge which constitutes the actual content of a library collection; and (b) a conceptual reality of the mental state of the library user, which is psychologically related to that individual's responses to information .

The physical reality is defined in terms of a type of C-M-R relationship, and it depends on such factors as the scope and depth of the library collection. The conceptual reality is a mental creation of a library user, who assembles the perceived messages into an organized, synthetic totality of his own knowledge.

Thus the usefulness of any library collection is determined by the level of apprehension of the meaning contained in the collection by its users. These two realities are interrelated by isomorphisms, a law of organization which describes a structural correspondence between any given empirical, physical collection of data (or messages) and their conceptual, mental perception.

Isomorphism determines the relationship between the corresponding elements of each reality; it is based on the assumption that each reality is intelligible, so that it can be comprehended by rational interpretation of similarities or differences between itself and the other reality. The intelligibility, in turn, implies organization of parts into a whole.

Gestalt theory is thus relevant to this approach in its two basic concepts: (a) what happens to a part of the whole is determined by intrinsic laws inherent in the whole; and (b) the intrinsic laws are formulated in terms of the proximity among the elements perceived as a whole.

The Gestalt formulation reinforces two conceptual laws:
(a) The basic law of structure, which states that library service must be based on the comprehension of the whole C-M-R relationship, as it is expressed in any given collection, in order to perform specific services to the library's individual user;

(b) The operational law of library service, which points out the fact that the elements within a C-M-R relationship cluster in groups, and therefore act in similar ways, expressing similar group qualities.

Consequently, a C-M-R relationship can be studied both at the theoretical and operational levels. < P> 11.6.3 A Discourse

A discourse is usually conceived as an orderly communication of thoughts. In a theory of librarianship, what is central in such a discourse is a systematic exchange of ideas about the forms in which information contained in a library collection is communicated.

We may distinguish three unique phases in the library communication, roughly corresponding to the traditional classification of logical propositions and their basic assertions:

(a) the procedural or actual,
(b) the contextual or possible, and
(c) the conceptual or necessary conditions of any library discourse.34

The process of library communication itself can be described in terms of its three -- now well known to the readers of this book -- basic components:

(a) the carrier of the message, such as a physical book, microfilm, picture, or magnetic tape containing the message, (M);
(b) the receiver of the message, which is expr essed in the communication vehicle (R), such as a listener of the tape recording, or a reader of a book or the message on a computer's screen;
(c) the message-oriented content that is being communicated to the receiver of the message in the form of data, information, instruction, etc. (C).

11.6.4 Modes of Communication

11.6.4.1 Procedural Mode of Communication in Metalibrarianship

In the procedural phase of communication, the actual interface between t he carriers of information and their interpreter is considered in terms of the means-ends sequences, conceived as a chain of successful responses to stimuli, which are constantly reinforced by positive feedback.

Diagrammatically, the process can be illustrated as a spiral of regenerative means-ends relationships.

Fig. 11-7 : Procedural Mode of Communication (Means - Ends Relationship) 35

In this diagram, the first selected means (M1) is more general than the following means (M2); M2 is initiated by the satisfactory completion of M1, and it results in the accomplishment of the end E1. Consequently, the end E2 becomes more specific than the end E1, etc.

If the choice of a means M1 results in achieving an objective E1, then that objective becomes a means for the next objective, causing a response E2M3 . . . etc., until a final means Mn ends in achieving the final objective En . The process is one-directional and self-reinforcing. A break in the sequence at any stage of communication interrupts or even completely destroys the communication process itself.

A simple example of the procedural level of library communication is provided in the way a subject heading is read by a student searching for material on, e.g., 'semantics and librarianship.' He chooses a likely subject heading (M1) 'Philosophy of Language' as his first means toward a more specific subject, not yet known to him, that would contain books on the topic searched (En). The subject 'Philosophy of Language' turns out to be too broad, and a cross-reference directs the student to a more specific subject heading 'Language-Philosophy' (E1), which is, again, too broad. After a number of trials, the student comes across the subject heading 'Communication'; this is the final step in this particular search (En), since the titles listed under that heading contain books on library communication and semantics that sati sfy his particular need.

The procedural conditions provide an interpersonal phase of library communication. It describes the available means such as books on a given subject in the means-ends process. It is based on a semantical process of perceiving words or symbols as expressed in a message context, describing the outward characteristics of the concept, and thus becoming that concept's fixed referent.

The procedural phase of communication provides also the structure for interpretin g the meaning of a given concept in terms of its secondary characteristics. Thus, the procedural approach emphasizes the meaning of the concept expressed in terms of a set of specific operations (e.g., a reading of a book) defined, in turn, by concrete, empirically observable procedures. It is a behavioristic method, verifiable by a manifested response to a given stimulus. The basic difficulty of the procedural approach in communication is in developing a technique which would allow for an accurate empiri cal description of the process, making it possible to predict a proper means-ends sequence.

The procedural level of communication in metalibrarianship must be differentiated from the engineering interpretation of communication. In Shannon theory, for example, semantic aspects of communication are irrelevant. The theory deals with the technical problems of mechanical transference of signals, whether they are meaningful or not. But, to quote Weaver, "this does not mean that the engineering aspect s are necessarily irrelevant to the semantic aspects . . . information in communication theory relates not so much to what you do say, as to what you could say."36

However, in metalibrarianship, the interest in the procedural interpretation of communication focuses on studying how one perceives what one selects, and perhaps, on a more empirical level, how one selects the carriers of communication in order to fulfill one's needs.

11.6.4.2 Contextual Mode of Commun ication in Metalibrarianship

A contextual interpretation of the communication process stresses the concept of need-fulfillment. The process can be sketched as a progressive selection of means available to the library patron and selected by him in order to satisfy his own needs.

Fig. 11-8: Helical Representatation of the Contextual Phase in Communication (The Need - Fulfilment Relations). 37

In that diagram the following symbols are used:

N: Specific needs
U: User's end-objectives
R: Available resources

r: a particular resource (e.g., a book) consulted by a reader
i: isomorphism between the user's needs and the resource's potential to fulfill these needs

In this process, the user (U) approaches the collection with a specific need in mind (N); he searches for the fulfillment of the need (F) by consulting the library collection (R). A selected book, or other carrier of information (r), represents broad resources which can be utilized by the reader to satisfy his different types of needs at different stages of the library communication.

A proper level of isomorphism in the discourse can be described by a formula:

I(n-f) = (Un - rn)

That is, at any given stage of a C-M-R relationship (e.g., Ux-rx in the above diagram), the user's need is partially satisfied by the amount of information extracted from the consulted source. The smaller the isomorphism (i), the more fulfilling is the communication process itself.

The contextual level of metalibrary communication is dependent on a variety of variables, affecting each component of the communication sequence. For example, the concept of communication may be presented at a very simple popularized level easily understood by a causal reader, or it can be defined mathematically in a l anguage understood only by an engineer specializing in communication. Similarly, the message can be formulated in common English or in a professional jargon, each interpreted differently by a novice or an expert.

The contextual condition provides an extra-personal level in metalibrary communication. It describes at any given phase of communication the relationship (or equivalence) between the user's needs and their fulfillment. The relationship is predetermined by the scope of library collection , hence the contextual notion of communication implies a reasoned need-fulfillment relationship.

Library science is concerned not only with the simple reflex behavior involved in choosing the means, but also with the purpose that motivates the individual to select means that are adjusted to particular preconceived need. The discipline ought to be specifically concerned about the criteria used by the reader in accepting or rejecting the services provided to him by the library, thus reflecting a coll ection's ability to fulfill the user's needs for information. These criteria precede the procedural sequences in communication process and are external to it, since the reader's response to any carrier of communication will take place only if he has a purpose in interpreting these messages. In this sense, a response to a particular sign is considered by a reader as meaningful behavior only because it will facilitate the achievement of a specific goal.

A contextual interpretation of the communica tive process stresses the purposefulness of selected need-fulfillment sequences. Both the procedural and contextual processes resemble a trial-and-error method of random search for proper sequences in communication. In both cases, successful attempts are repeated in subsequent trials, while unsuccessful attempts are abandoned. Both processes are essential in the communication pattern formation. They differ conceptually in their emphases: the procedural interpretation stresses the behavioral aspects of the c ommunication sequences, selected a priori, while the contextual approach emphasizes the overall potential structure of communication, and is dependent on the interpretation of the context of the carriers of communication. That is, contextually, the communication process is not a summation of individual need-fulfillment sequences, but a configuration of these responses within a total integrated pattern of thought-structure of any given library user at any particular time.

The problem of contex tual interpretation is caused by a lack of satisfactory method of evaluating, and therefore predicting the effectiveness of alternative communication processes.

11.6.4.3 Conceptual Mode of Communication in Metalibrarianship

The conceptual approach in communication emphasizes the necessary minimal relationship between the operational, procedural (M-E) and conditional, contextual (N-F) levels of communication.

In a communicative process, the conceptual approach establishes functional relationships between related concepts, and it is expressed by a combined means-ends, needs-fulfillment interrelationship. The relationship between M:E = N:F can be described graphically as:

Fig. 11-9: Conceptual Equivalent in Library Communication (Means-Ends : Needs-Fulfilment Relations)38

M : E = N : F
M-E is a procedural description of t he communication process	M : Means E : Ends
N-F identifies the possible impact of individual carriers of communication on the fulfillment of need	N : Needs F: Fulfillment

A purely conceptual analysis of a communication process in metalibrarianship relates M-E and N-F sequences within any transfer of information. It correlates a given method of communication with the meaning that is conveyed by the process. The goal of the library should therefore express the needs of its users. A progress toward achieving these goals is measured in terms of available means, and it is evaluated in terms of satisfactory services, expressed by the fulfillment of the reader's needs.

For example, the conceptual level of metalibrary communication interrelates the student's research in the subject catalog, i.e., a process of finding an appropriate book (M), on a subject of co mmunication (E), with (1) the amount of information contained in a selected book, its accuracy and style of presentation, as well as (2) the reader's own reaction to the material read, and determined, in turn, by the reader's previous knowledge of the subject, an interest in it, etc.

The conceptual interpretation of a communication system aims at a formulation of theoretical relationships between the acts of library users in searching for information and the state of library collections that provid es the information. The approach attempts to relate the controlled, behavioristic means-ends processes with the subjective, specific choices of M-E sequences according to the need-fulfillment of an individual library user. What is basic in this process of associating means with goals is the similarity between library material consulted by the user and the information sought by him; and between the concepts which formulate the desired objectives and the actual accomplishments.

11.6.4.4 Example s

Indirectly, Terbille's essay on the conceptual differences between Waples' empirical pragmatism, Berelson's behavioral approach, and Butler's humanistic viewpoints illustrate the interplay among the three dimensions of librarianship discussed above (Terbille, 1992).

Waples concentrates on research methodology for identifying and solving library problems; "the research should thus serve to confirm or refute the fact, condition, or relationship." 39 Berelson ex tended the scientific (i.e., procedural) approach to the study of human behavior, limited to the availability of physical evidence (a procedurally tinted contextual approach). Butler recognized three phases in any discipline: technological,scientific, and humanistic; and he criticized the overemphasis in librarianship of the first two. "He argued that the profession needed a humane 'worldly wisdom' to determine what libraries can and should be."40 He did not reject the scientific approac h, but objected to its claim to exclusivity. "A 'chasm' between things as they exist and things as they are known is the common ground of both systems"41( A conceptually based contextualism). In his other writings, Butler stresses more aggressively the cultural interpretation of reality, thus representing more clearly a contextual viewpoint.

11.6.4.5 A Recapitulation

The relationship among the three levels of communication in the metalibra ry discourse is summarized in Fig. 11-10: A Three-Fold Modality of Library Discourse. 42

The end product of the discourse in metalibrary communication is a metaphorical relationship between the descriptions of some aspects of reality, recorded physically in the carriers of the message (be it ideas, facts, or other conceptual messages), and the reality's perception in the mind of the library user in a form of a conceptual reality.

The discours e is satisfactory if it meets the needs of the library user, by expanding or modifying his conceptual perception of reality, and by assimilating new concepts that are communicated to him through the carriers of the message. These carriers provide means available to a library user to meet his goals. Each goal, in turn, is determined by the user's own needs to fulfill it at any particular time.

In the vast human knowledge stored in a library collection, an infinite number of conceptual rea lities waits for their discovery. Thus, library communication is a link between past human accomplishments and their future, unlimited and unexplored potential.

11.7 Matrix of Relationships

11.7.1 Relationships between Primitive Elements

The diagram Fig. 11-11 : Matrix of Metalibrarianship, illustrates basic relationships in the d-i-k transfer, between its primary elements, alpha, beta, gamma, considered at three interrelated levels of proce duralism (Pd), contextualism (Cx), and conceptualism (Co).

Each of the elements is, in turn, described in terms of its configuration within the overall relationship, the processes it is involved in, and its contribution to the definition of the nature of the discipline.

Element	A: Configuration	B: Process	C: Quiddity
Alpha	1. Patron 2. Producer 3. Librarian	1. Learning 2. Clarification 3. Information	1. Education 2. Access 3. Assistance
Beta	1. Objective 2. Event 3. Situation	1. Transfer 2. Transformation 3. Transmutation	1. Empirical 2. Imaginary 3. Abstract
Gamma	1. Oral 2. Visual 3. Textual	1. Acquisition 2. Organization 3. Preservation	1. Data 2. Information 3. Knowledge
Interpreted at Procedural (Pd), Contextual (Cx), and Conceptual (Co) levels

Fig. 11-12: Multiplicity of metalibrary relations

Definitions: A: Configuration:: Kinds of elements (alpha-beta-gamma):


alpha: The type of participant in the d-i-k transfer
alpha1 : the receiver (library patron)
alpha2 : the producer (author of the message)
alpha3 : the mediator between needs for d-i-k and available resources (librarian)
beta: The content of the library record in the d-i-k transfer:

beta1 : an object
beta2 : an event
beta3 : a situation
gamma : the format of the carrier of the library record:
gamma1: oral
gamma2: visual
gamma3: textual


B: Process: Purposive action toward a specific goal of changing the characteristics of alpha-beta-gamma relations

alpha: Processes associated with alpha:
alpha1: learning
alpha2: clarifying
alpha3: informing

beta: changes in the status of the reco rd's content which is:

beta1: Transferred to another destination (as a physical signal, code, etc.)
beta2: Transformed, i.e., redefined meaning of the con tent by changing its form or appearance without changing its quality (e.g., synonymic interpreta- tion of the message)
beta3 : Transmuted, i.e., substance of the message is changed without c hanging its appearance (e.g., metaphorical interpretation of the message)
gamma: Processes affecting the carriers of message which are:
gamma1: selected
gamma2: organized
gamma3: preserved

C. QUIDDITY: The essence of d-i-k relationships, its 'what-ness,' i.e., the necessary relationships between the configuration (A) and the processes (B) consist of:
alpha: essential services provided to alpha:
alpha1: education
alpha2: access
alpha3: assistance (reference)
beta: essential sources of the content of messages:
beta1: empirical
beta2: imaginary
beta3: abstract
gamma: formats of the carriers of records:
gamma1: data
gamma2: information
gamma3: knowledge

The above relations can be studied at:

Procedural (Pd) level: empirical focus on observable experiences of quantitative, physical properties of reality;

Contextual (Cx) level: psycho-sociological focus on perceived qualitative attributes of reality

Conceptual (C0) level: philosophical focus on logical reality of abstracted ideas about observed and perceived aspects of reality

For example,
on Pd level: a statistical study of relationships between the assistance provided by a librarian (A-alpha3) to a library patron (A-alpha1) in obtaining needed information (C-gamma2)

On Cx level: a study of perceived relationships between visual television images (A-gamma2) and their transmutation (B-beta3) of in formation (C-beta2)

On Co level: analyses of logical relationships between reported event (A-beta2) and its classification (B-alpha2) in an educational program (C-alpha1).

In the above examples the LIS functions are fulfilled by selected processes (B) within the discipline's structural configuration (A), together defining the substance of the discipline, its essence (C).

11.7.3 Examples

The characteristics assigned for alpha-beta-gamma (a-b-g) and for the procedural, contextual, and conceptual (Pd, Cx, Co) levels are arbitrary, and can be substituted by any other sets of values. In our example, the arrangement is as follows:

(1) At the procedural level (Pd) the FORM of each element alpha-beta-gamma describes the nature of each element:

(a1) The participant in the d-i-k transfer may be:
1- Consumer of the message (e.g., library patron)
2- Producer of the message (e.g., author of the message)
3- Mediator between conflicting needs and available resources (e.g., librarian)

(b1) The form of the content of the message (beta) can be either:

1- oral
2- visual
3- textual

(g1) The form of the carrier of records (gamma) can describe:

1- Object
2- Event
3- Situation< BR>

(a2) The role of the recipient of the message, alpha is:
1- to learn something
2- to clarify something
3- to get information

(b2) The functions of the content of the message (beta) are:
1- to transfer, i.e., to forward the physical signal from the sender to r ecipient (e.g., forwarding a code, Shannon's signals)
2- to transform, i.e., to redefine the meaning, by changing the form or the appearance of the message without chang- ing its quality (e.g., synonymic interpretation of the message)
3- transmute, change the quality, i.e., the substance of the message, without changing its appearance (e.g., metaphorical interpretation of the message)
(g2) The funct ion of the carrier of a message is:
1- to be selected for acquisition
2- to be organized (classified, cataloged, indexed, etc.)
3- to be preserved for future dissemination

(a3) The essence of participant involvement in the d-i-k transfer is:
1- to obtain a specific record (e.g., to charge the book)
2- to expand his understanding (i.e., to be educated on a given subject)
3- to obtain assistance in resolving some conceptual problem
(b3) The essence of the content of the message, beta, can be:
1- Data
2- Information
3- Knowledge
(g3) The essence of the record of the message, gamma, can be
1- Empirical record
2- Imaginary record
3- Abstract record

(4) Each of the above relations can be in turn examined on the procedural (empirical), contextual (environmental) and conceptual (philosophical) level.

The purpose here is to provide a matrix that would accommodate different interpretations of alpha, beta, and gamma within a closely defined environment. The subdivisions suggested here can be substituted or expanded, to allow for designing differen t frames of comparison. The analyses of information transfer as defined in terms of matrixes, will contribute to the better understanding of reality and a less subjective evaluation of its interpretation.

Furthermore, one may wish to study specific relations among the three levels. For that purpose a different matrix will have to be constructed, listing procedural, contextual, and conceptual levels on each of the three axes of the cubical matrix. Some of the relations identified in the matr ix may be rejected as irrelevant; others may have not yet been identified.43

The matrix is hospitable to a variety of alpha-beta-gamma relations. It can accommodate Popper's 'three worlds,' Shera's relationships between 'graphic records-readers-graphic records and readers,' Fairthorne's twenty triads, or any other possible combinations.44

1. Otten, K. and Ant hony Debons. (January-February 1970). "Towards Metascience of Information: Informatology." Journal of American Society for Information Science , 21(1), p. 91.

2. Ibid., p. 92.

3. Kaplan, A. (October 1964). "The Age of the Symbol -- A Philosophy of Library Education." Library Quarterly , 34(4), p. 301.

4. Rayward, W. B. (1983). "Library and Information Science; Disciplinary Differentiation, C ompetition, and Convergence." In F. Machlup, & U. Mansfield (Eds.), The Study of Information ; Interdisciplinary Messages . New York: John Wiley, p. 350.

5. Mikhailov, A. I., Chernyi, A. I., & Gilyarevskii, R. S. (1969). "Informatics: Its Scope and Methods." In A. I. Mikhailov (ed.), On Theoretical Problems of Informatics . Moscow: All-Union Institute for Scientific and Technical Information, p. 14.

6. Taylor, R. S. (1986). Value-Added Processes in Information Systems . Norwood, N.J.: Ablex Publishing Corporation, pp. 202-203.

7. Ibid., pp. 49-50.

8. Renaming the discipline is dangerous and not desirable. However, changing the basic perception of the field -- in our case, by expanding its paradigms -- calls for some linguistic differentiation. 'Meta' in the name 'metalibrarianship' suggests a notion of going 'beyond' the subj ect matter of traditional librarianship. "Informatics,' the term gaining popularity, especially in Europe, does not fit our definition of the new discipline, since it overemphasizes the element of 'information' at the expense of the well-established, and historically justified, designation of the place of our activities, the 'library.' Similar reservation would apply to the use of bibliographic or bibliothecal descriptions of the discipline.

9. In my previous writings I referred to the three components as B (generic book), U (its user) and K (knowledge, or content of the book). The terminology created some confusion, hence the present change.

10. This section is based on Nagel, E. and James R. Newman (1958). Godel's Proof . New York: New York University Press; Barker, S. F. (1967). "Geometry," in Paul Edwards (ed.), The Encyclopedia of Philosophy . (pp. 285-290). New Yo rk: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., & The Free Press; and Parsons, C. (1967). "Mathematics, Foundations of," op. cit., pp. 188-213.

11. Nagel, 1958, op. cit., p. 28.

12. Metalibrarianship is about the relations resulting from the manipulation of some concepts within librarianship. Metalibrary statements contain names of the relations studied, not the relations themselves, distinguishing between subject matter under study and the discourse about that subject matter.

13. Nagel, 1958, op. cit., p. 100.

14. Ibid.

15. Godel, K. (1944). "Russell's Mathematical Logic." In Paul A. Schlipp, The Philosophy of Bertrand Russell . Evanston and Chicago, p. 137; quoted by Nagel, 1958, p. 100.

16. Nagel, 1958, op. cit., pp. 99-100.

17. Baran tsev, R. G. (January 1982). "System Triad of Definition." Int . Forum Inf . Doc ., 7(1), p.9.

18. Ibid., p. 10.

19. This test is based on the methodological principle established some twenty-three centuries ago by a Chinese philosopher, Mo Tzu. See: Y. P. Mei (1967) "Mo Tzu," The Encyclopedia of Philosophy , 1967, op. cit., vol. 5, pp. 409- 410.

20. Pepper, S. C. (1966). Concept and Quality ; A World Hypothesis . LaSalle, Ill.,: Open Court, p. 6.

21. Popper, K. R. (1979 (rev. ed.). Objective Knowledge . Oxford: Clarendon Press.

22. All the above quotations are from Dervin & Dewdney, 1986, p. 507.

23. Brown, R. H. (1987). "Metaphor and Historical Consciousness; Organicism and Mechanism in the Study of Social Change." In R. E. Haskell (ed.), Cognition and Symbolic Structures : The Psych ology of Metaphoric Transformation . Norwood, N.J.: Ablex Publishing Co., p. 238.

24. Ibid., p. 228.

25. Nitecki, J. Z. (April, 1968). "Reflections on the Nature and Limits of Library Science." In: The Journal of Library History , Philosophy and Comparative Librarianship , 3(2), pp. 103-119. See also: Nitecki, J. Z. (Winter 1979). "Metaphors of Librarianship: A Suggestion for a Metaphysical Model." The Journal o f Library , History, Philosophy and Comparative Librarianship , 14(1), p. 36.

26. Nitecki, J. Z. (Winter 1981). "An Idea of Librarianship: An Outline for a Root-Metaphor Theory in Library Science." Journal of Library History , Philosophy and Comparative Librarianship , 16(1), p. 109.

27. This section is an edited version of Nitecki, J. Z. (June 1970). "Toward a Conceptual Pattern in Librarianship: A Mod el. " General Systems Bulletin , 2(11), pp. 2-16.

28. Boulding, K. (1956). "General Systems Theory - The Skeleton of Science." In Yearbook of the Society for the Advancement of General Systems Theory . General Systems, p. 16.

29. Nitecki, J. Z. (April, 1968). "Reflection of the Nature and Limits of Library Science." The Journal of Library History , Philosophy and Comparative Librarianship , 3(2), p. 109.

30. Ibid., p. 106.

31. Nitecki, 1970, op. cit., p. 5.

32. The draft version of this section was published in Nitecki, J. Z. (1979-a). On the Modality of Discourse in the Theory of Librarianship : ERIC . (ED 171267).

33. Nitecki, 1979, op. cit., p. 3

34. Ibid., p. 5.

35. Ibid., p. 6.

36. Weaver, W. (1964). "Recent Cont ributions to the Mathematical Theory of Communication." In Claude E. Shannon and Warren Weaver, The Mathematical Theory of Communication . Urbana, Ill.: The University of Illinois Press, p. 8.

37. Nitecki, 1979, op. cit., p. 9.

38. Ibid.

39. Terbille, C. I. (Summer, 1992). "Competing Models of Library Science: Waples-Berelson and Butler." Libraries & Culture, 27(3), p. 299.

4 0. Ibid., p. 298.

41. Ibid., p. 307.

42. Nitecki, 1979, op. cit.,p.13.

43. The total number of combinations possible does not matter here, since the content of the matrix may be changed. What is important is the concept of relationships defined in a specific matrix.

44. The library literature is full of suggested classifications and interpretations of relations between primary li brary concepts. See, for example, discussion of Fairthorne's triads by Bohnert, L. M. (June 1974), Fairthorne's "Triads as an Aid in Teaching Information Science." Journal of Documentation , 30(2), 210-215, and Mooers, C. N. (June 1974). "Analysis of the Hexagon of Notification." Journal of Documentation , 30,2.