THEMATICITY OF THE MONASTIC LIBRARIES' COLLECTIONS

THE CASE OF TIBÃES MONASTERY

Authors

Keywords:

knowledge organization, monastic libraries, document analysis, Monastery of São Martinho de Tibães

Abstract

Monastic libraries constitute privileged spaces for knowledge organization, whose historical practices remain insufficiently explored in dialogue with contemporary Information Science. This study aims to map the organization and classification of the collection of the Library of the Monastery of São Martinho de Tibães through its documentary records, with a view to comparing its structure with contemporary bibliographic classification systems. The research adopts a qualitative approach based on documentary analysis of three historical manuscripts: the Index geral dos manuscritos (General Index of Manuscripts, 1896), the Index da biblioteca (Library Index, 1798), compiled by Friar Francisco de São Luís, and the Catálogo dos manuscritos (Catalogue of Manuscripts, eighteenth century), all preserved at the Braga District Archive and the National Archive of Torre do Tombo. The analysis identified an organizational structure composed of six thematic classes, whose grouping criteria and terminology reveal conceptual affinities with systems such as the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC), and the faceted principles proposed by Ranganathan. The findings indicate that the Tibães Library employed systematic and coherent classification practices, although guided by a theological-humanistic logic characteristic of the monastic environment. In conclusion, these findings contribute to broadening the historical understanding of knowledge organization and highlight the relevance of studying historical collections for the theoretical development of the field.

Author Biographies

  • Tatiana de Almeida, Rio de Janeiro State University

    Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Porto, Portugal. Faculty member at the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), in the Graduate Program in Library Science (PPGB) and the Department of Library Science (DEPB). Ph.D. and M.A. in Information Science through a partnership between the Brazilian Institute of Information in Science and Technology and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (IBICT/UFRJ). B.A. in Library Science and Documentation from Fluminense Federal University.

  • Olívia Manuela Marques Pestana, University of Porto

    Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication and Information Sciences at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto. She is also a researcher at CITCEM—the Center for Transdisciplinary Research on Culture, Space, and Memory. She holds a Ph.D. in Information and Communication on Digital Platforms from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Porto, in partnership with the University of Aveiro (2011). She also holds a Master’s degree in Information Management from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Porto (2006), a Specialization Diploma in Documentation Sciences from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Coimbra (1996), and a Bachelor’s degree in Modern Languages and Literatures from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Porto (1992). 

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Published

2026-11-13

Conference Proceedings Volume

2026: XXVI ENCONTRO NACIONAL DE PESQUISA E PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO EM CIÊNCIA DA INFORMAÇÃO

Section

GT 2 – Organização e Representação do Conhecimento

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