Paleography and information science

Reflections on an intercientific dialogue

Abstract

This study proposes an analysis and reflection concerning the inter-scientific dialogue between Paleography and Information Science. For this purpose, takes a qualitative approach, backed by the Documentary Research method, both for the literature review and for the information search and analysis, in order to assess the existence of said dialogue in the Information Science studies, as well as in the educational offer in Information Science courses curricula in Portugal (Universities of Coimbra, Lisbon and Porto), and in 16 graduate courses in Archivology in Brazil.

The identification, organization and representation of information relating to old documents, done by the archivists, the librarians or the museologists, require the knowledge of the constitutive elements of writing, interpretation and reading of documents, ie training in Palaeography. Today, this is materialized in studies in the field of Information Science, where Paleography is present in the curriculum plans of Information Science in Portugal, as an optional subject, and in 14 of the 16 Archivology courses in Brazil, whose attendance is mandatory in 12 graduate courses.