Degree studies in Information and Documentation in Spain. From their antecedents to the current situation: A critical view

Abstract University studies in Documentation Sciences in Spain go back to the 1980s with the implementation of the University degree in Librarianship and Documentation. This was followed later by the Licentiate degree (roughly equivalent to the M.A. degree) and Doctorate courses in Documentation. The process of adapting Spain’s university system to the European Space for Higher Education resulted in the appearance of Bachelors’ degree courses in Information and Documentation. This study presents the origin of these degree courses, their development and current situation, and their antecedents, without which, would be impossible to understand the current reality. The so-called “crisis of Documentation studies in Spain” is analyzed, together with the need to rethink the country’s university studies.