The Theoretical Relevance of Social Epistemology in Library and Information Science and Knowledge Organization

In this paper we review the influence of Jesse Shera and Margaret Egan’s Social Epistemology in the Library and Information Science and Knowledge Organization literature. The study qualitatively complements the study by Guimarães et al. (2018) and focuses on that literature published after Zandonade (2004). We critically discuss the interpretations and relevance of the theory for the literature and highlight its importance for recent developments in line with a more sociological approach. In this sense, believe that Hjørland’s domain analysis can be considered a truly successor of social epistemology and a new paradigm in the field.