Concept of bibliography, or concepts of bibliography?

Abstract

Introduction: Bibliography is a polysemic term that covers products, activities, and an entire disciplinary field. Its numerous facets do not necessarily lead to a single, consensual concept. Objectives: This study seeks to discuss the concept of bibliography by examining the origins of bibliographical work, the relationships between the term, the concept and its definitions over time, its typology and mediation function, and reflections about the creation of an autonomous disciplinary field. Methodology: The present study was conducted using a bibliographical survey, comparing among the various reflections, and attempting to construct a brief systematization. Results: Although the denomination and concept of bibliography vary, there is relative consensus which states that the core meaning revolves around book repertoires and, more recently, documents in general. This definition emphasizes technical aspects of both librarian and book practices, as well as communication, sociocultural, and historiographic aspects. Some proposals that defend the autonomy of the field posit bibliography as a matrix discipline from which other related disciplines are organized. Conclusions: Bibliography is a special mechanism of secondary memory whose basic principle remains, in spite of technologies. It produces lists organized according to different arrangements and proposes description methodologies. The emergence of a postmodern model of science calls into question the appropriateness of the claim for an autonomous field, as this model favors an inter- and trans-disciplinary perspectives of thematic universes.