Knowledge structure of library and information science in South Korea

This article analyzes the knowledge structure of library and information science (LIS) in South Korea based on analysis of the theories presented in scholarly research articles. A content analysis of 654 LIS articles that appeared in two major journals since 1970 revealed overall theory use in LIS, such as growth and distribution of theory use by subfield, origin of theory, degree of theory use, and development of theory. The 654 articles analyzed used about eighty theories. The largest percentage of theories originated in LIS, followed by social science, sciences, and humanities. The degree of theory use indicates 2.10 in the 5 point ratio scale of the “Five Degrees of Theory Use Model.” The proposed theory use model provides an analytical tool to delineate degrees of theory use in LIS. In short, the results of knowledge structure analysis in LIS research show that LIS in South Korea needs much more development in various fields.