Les études de documentation de Paul Otlet: analyse d'une terminologie spécialisée entre français et italien

The inadequacy of “bibliographical sciences” in transmitting and diffusing information perceived by Otlet between XIX and XX centuries led him to the creation of a new field of study and research: documentation. The Belgian, aware that every intellectual building is based on words, create a new terminology from the root of the word documento that can be analysed in his masterpiece Traité de documentation. The article, examining the evolution of the key words bibliography and documentation, aims at providing a first key to access the work of this “knowledge architect”, whose role is of fundamental importance to the modern evolution of information sciences.