{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,23]],"date-time":"2026-04-23T01:51:03Z","timestamp":1776909063085,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,28]],"date-time":"2025-03-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1743120000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JD"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,28]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Purpose<\/jats:title><jats:p>This paper examines epistemic factors shaping collection management in Australian public libraries, focusing on how librarians balance subjective and objective judgments in nonfiction collection development. It highlights the role of knowledge representation and its alignment with civil society needs while addressing epistemic scepticism toward traditional knowledge frameworks and the tension between utilitarian and broader epistemic goals.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title><jats:p>A mixed-methods approach was adopted. Bibliometric analysis of three million books (10% of Australia\u2019s adult nonfiction holdings) categorised subject focus using the OCLC conspectus subject categories. Semi-structured interviews with collection librarians contextualised these findings, exploring epistemic considerations. The analysis integrated phenomenology, philosophical hermeneutics and sociology of knowledge perspectives to uncover the epistemic dimensions of nonfiction practices.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Findings<\/jats:title><jats:p>Nonfiction collections emphasise self-focused topics reflecting utilitarian priorities. Librarians interviewed exhibited epistemic scepticism, questioning nonfiction\u2019s role as a representation of encyclopaedic or scientific knowledge. Instead, the collections studied embody a pluralistic worldview, blending formalised knowledge systems with user-driven demands. Practical knowledge, informed by utilitarianism and common sense, is prioritised by librarians over speculative and scientific content to meet civil society\u2019s immediate needs.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title><jats:p>This is the first study to comprehensively analyse adult nonfiction collections in a large set of public libraries. It uniquely explores epistemic factors in collection practices, addressing scepticism and utilitarian ethics. The study introduces Nelson Goodman\u2019s \u201cworldmaking\u201d as a pragmatic framework to understand knowledge representation, linking philosophical pluralism with library science.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/jd-11-2024-0279","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,27]],"date-time":"2025-03-27T13:39:49Z","timestamp":1743082789000},"page":"709-722","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Knowledge representation in the Australian public library: epistemic factors impacting collection management"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"81","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7665-6220","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Matthew","family":"Kelly","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]}],"member":"140","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"key2025042506290511700_ref001","volume-title":"Philosophy, Humor, and the Human Condition: Taking Ridicule Seriously","year":"2019"},{"key":"key2025042506290511700_ref002","volume-title":"Conceptions of Justice from Islam to the Present","year":"2020"},{"key":"key2025042506290511700_ref003","volume-title":"The Pleasure of the Text","year":"1998"},{"key":"key2025042506290511700_ref004","volume-title":"A New History of the English Public Library: Social and Intellectual Contexts, 1850-1914","year":"1996"},{"key":"key2025042506290511700_ref005","article-title":"Reading for Pleasure: A Research Overview","year":"2006"},{"key":"key2025042506290511700_ref006","unstructured":"Cohnitz, D. and Rossberg, M. 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