Library Trends

Abstract:

In response to the invitation, in the announcement of this special issue, to explore the "joy of information," this article investigates the information-intensive work called scholarship. Drawing upon the Greek philosophical understanding of contemplation as a journey of self-transformation and transcendence, it suggests that contemplative scholarship be understood as such a journey. From this perspective, the process of scholarship is as important as the product: first, because to pursue one's scholarship is not just to investigate one's subject matter, but to investigate oneself in relation to that subject matter, and to be transformed in the process; and second, because the process of deep immersion in one's subject matter can at times allow one not just to acquire knowledge but to encounter mystery, and to enter into states of wonder, awe, and joy.