Representação temática da informação: estudo comparativo entre os tesauros das áreas de Biblioteconomia e Ciência da Informação quanto aos seus elementos estruturais

Abstract

This article presents a comparative and critical analysis, highlighting similarities and differences between thesauri in Library Science and Information Science. It constitutes a study with a qualitative approach and descriptive character, whose research is classified as bibliographic and documentary. The analysis is developed through a set of parameters, based on the works of Debiazi (2009), Moraes (2012), Gheno (2013), and Messa (2017), who addressed this proposal for comparative analysis through variables. It involves a web survey, with research sources including BRAPCI, SciELO, IBICT's OASISBR, and Google Scholar, using the following search terms: "thesauri" and "thesauri in Information Science." A total of six thesauri in Portuguese and foreign languages are reached. Among these, three were selected as the analysis corpus—IBICT, CINDOC, and DOCUTES—due to their availability in PDF format. It is concluded that both present more similarities than differences in their structure. Regarding similarities, the use of software for their construction, a balance between the semantic relations present in the terms, and the expressive level of specificity present in various terms are noted. Regarding differences, a distinct structuring of explanatory notes and versions of the terms in other languages was observed. Both thesauri are important instruments for the organization and retrieval of information, promoting control and standardization in the indexing process, and, as a result, reducing problems that interfere with information communication. It is expected that with this study, new contributions to Library Science and Information Science may arise.