The Theory-Practice Gap Link

Changing the Narrative about Theory in Library and Information Science

Abstract

It is particularly meaningful to revisit this issue in the context of the Gabriel Adriano Bernardo Memorial Lecture. Bernardo, often described as the doyen of Philippine librarianship, was known for his “burning passion for the ideals and accomplishments of scholarship” (Vallejo, 2007, p. 3). His career reflects a model of librarianship in which scholarship and practice are not opposing domains but mutually reinforcing pursuits. As both a librarian and a scholar, Bernardo exemplified a professional identity that complicates the very notion of a divide between theory and practice.