The concept of memory in information science

analysis of theses and dissertations of postgraduate programs in Brazil

Abstract

Shows results in doctoral research that aims to understand how Information Science (IS) appropriates concepts, based on the specific case of appropriation and recasting of the concept of memory in scientific production in Brazil. Uses the knowledge building model proposed by Wersig in which Information Science must weave a conceptual network from the reformulation of broad models and inter-concepts. Specific objectives were to: identify the "atractors" of the memory concept in information science; analyze its appropriations and reformulations in production of IS in Brazil; check the existence of relations between the production of work about memory and the majors of the authors and/or post-graduate programs in IS in which the work was produced. Adopts documental and bibliographical research as procedure and, as a method, content analysis. For the quantitative analysis of data, we used the Corpograph, a platform to analyze corpora. The article presents the analysis of theses and dissertations which compose the sample analyzed in the research. The results shows little relevance of the theme in the literature of the area. It was noted that the most productive authors originate from post-graduation programs in IS, but do not develop their research on these programs, although they communicate their studies in journals and specific events in Information Science. There was also a core of theoretical studies on memory, a trend unidentified in the international literature. The study found the appropriation concept of memory for Information Science in Brazil, in only one aspect identified in international literature: the social aspect. This appropriation has proven to be more directly influenced by the academic background of issuers of messages than by production context.