Cutting the Gordian Knot

This paper argues that (a) the term ''library science'' is an oxymoron and (b) the physicalist paradigm is bankrupt. Evidence suggests that the growing tensions between the two cultures of North America library and information science education have become intolerable. The ''information access'' model is proposed as a vehicle for unification and integration, but its limitations are also acknowledged. An action agenda, centered on the idea of conceptual outsourcing and a commitment to interdisciplinary research, is adumbrated.