Biblioteks- och informationsvetenskapens överordnade identitet : ämnets betydelse för studentens yrkesinriktning

Sammanfattning: Library and information science (LIS), being a research area characterized by theoretical discord and definition disarray, provides an interesting field of inquiry. Its content, boundaries, scope and superior identity are not clearly stated. This Master s thesis focuses on a thus far unexplored perspective on the discipline: a conceivable statistic and causes- and- effect relationship between the LIS students appreciated identification with the superior identity of the discipline, and the chosen vocational direction within the field. This relationship is examined through testing a working hypothesis on the results of a major quantitative questionnaire survey. The theory behind our research derives mainly from Thomas Kuhn and Richard Whitley. In addition to their theories, a comparative study of Library and Information Science in the Nordic countries by Vakkari et alii has been auxiliary to this study. When converting Whitley s theories to our specific context, the Nordic study has served as a mediator in interpreting Whitley s institutionalization concept. The results indicate that a relationship between the students' identification with the discipline and the students choice of vocational direction exists. It can roughly be described that the degree of identification corresponds with the degree of the number of professions chosen, and the nature of the chosen profession. Giving a simplified picture of the findings in this study, one can confirm that a high degree of identification with LIS superior identity tends to connect to a high number of chosen career options. Furthermore, the chosen options are not only related to libraries.