# bibliography

> academic discipline that studies books

**Wikidata**: [Q134995](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q134995)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibliography)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/bibliography

## Summary
Bibliography is the academic discipline that studies books, particularly as physical objects. As a field within information and library science, it involves the systematic analysis, description, and listing of books and other publications to organize and retrieve information.

## Key Facts
- **Classification:** Bibliography is considered a subclass of information science and a part of library science.
- **Founder:** The discipline was founded by Paul Otlet, a Belgian author, librarian, and thinker.
- **Core Subject:** The primary focus of bibliography is the academic study of books and the process of documenting them.
- **Practitioner:** A person who practices this discipline is known as a bibliographer.
- **Synonym:** The field is also referred to as bibliology.
- **Core Component:** A fundamental unit of work within bibliography is the bibliographic record.
- **Library Classification:** In the Dewey Decimal Classification system, bibliography is categorized under 010.
- **Sub-fields:** Major branches include descriptive bibliography, textual bibliography, and critical bibliography.

## FAQs
### Q: What is the difference between bibliography as a discipline and a bibliography in a paper?
A: The academic discipline of bibliography is the formal study of books, including their physical properties, history, and classification. A bibliography at the end of a paper is one of the outputs of this discipline—a systematic list of works used or on a particular subject.

### Q: Who founded the field of bibliography?
A: Bibliography was founded by Paul Otlet (1868-1944), a Belgian librarian, author, and key figure in the development of information science.

### Q: What are the main types of bibliography?
A: The source material identifies several branches, including descriptive bibliography (focusing on the material conditions of books), textual bibliography (the study of printings and editions), and critical bibliography (the study of a book's physical characteristics and creation process).

## Why It Matters
Bibliography is a foundational discipline for modern library and information science. It provides the theoretical and practical framework for organizing the vast world of published knowledge. By systematically describing and classifying books and other documents, bibliography makes information discoverable, verifiable, and accessible.

The discipline's focus on the book as a physical object is crucial for historians, literary scholars, and collectors. It allows researchers to understand how a text was produced, transmitted, and changed over time, offering insights into printing history, authorship, and cultural context. Without the rigorous methods developed by bibliographers like Paul Otlet, the ability to navigate libraries, databases, and archives would be severely limited. In essence, bibliography creates the intellectual order necessary to turn a simple collection of books into a functional and searchable library.

## Notable For
- **Focus on Physicality:** Unlike simple cataloging, branches like descriptive and critical bibliography study the material nature of books—paper, printing, binding, and annotations—to understand their history and production.
- **Systematic Classification:** Bibliography is integral to library classification systems, such as the Dewey Decimal Classification (where it is section 010) and Colon Classification, providing a structured approach to organizing knowledge.
- **Foundational Role:** It serves as a core component of the broader fields of library science and information science, establishing the methods for analyzing, collecting, and retrieving information.
- **Specific Sub-Disciplines:** The field includes specialized areas of study such as incunabula, which is the dedicated study of early European printed works from the 15th century.

## Body
### Definition and Scope
Bibliography is formally defined as an academic discipline and field of study concerned with books. It is also known by the alias "bibliology." The core practice involves the systematic documentation of publications. Its practitioners are called bibliographers, and its primary output is the bibliographic record. The discipline is well-established, having been described in numerous reference works, including the Encyclopædia Britannica, Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, and the Granat Encyclopedic Dictionary.

### Classification and Relationships
As an academic field, bibliography holds a specific place within the organization of knowledge:
- **Parent Fields:** It is considered a part of library science and a subclass of the broader field of information science.
- **Dewey Decimal Classification:** 010
- **Colon Classification:** a

### Branches and Related Studies
Bibliography is not a monolithic field but consists of several specialized branches:
- **Descriptive Bibliography:** Focuses on the material conditions and physical description of books.
- **Textual Bibliography:** Involves the study of the different printings and editions of a single printed work to trace its textual history.
- **Critical Bibliography:** Examines the physical characteristics of books and the process of bookmaking itself.
- **Incunabula:** A related area that specifically studies European books printed in the 15th century.
- **Other related studies:** The study of almanacs and bookplates are also considered part of the broader discipline.

### Key Figures
The primary figure associated with the founding of bibliography is **Paul Otlet** (b. 1868). He was a Belgian librarian, writer, and lawyer who made foundational contributions to the development of information science.

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## References

1. Directory of Open Access Journals
2. Nuovo soggettario
3. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
4. Treccani's Enciclopedia on line
5. YSO-Wikidata mapping project
6. National Library of Israel
7. CC 6
8. KBpedia
9. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)
10. Wikibase TDKIV