Federico Birabén and his proposal to create a Brazilian bibliographic office: Approaches to and differences in Documentation in South America

In the context of project led by Paul Otlet and Henri La Fontaine for the creation of the Universal Bibliographic Repertory, individuals and institutions were invited to spread the ideals of the Belgian duo around the world. One such person is Argentine engineer and librarian Federico Birabén, who was responsible for the installation of bibliographical offices in Argentina, Chile and Peru in compliance with the proposals of the International Institute of Bibliography. Birabén proposed the creation of the Brazilian Bibliographic Office in 1910. This paper examines his background and his proposal. To this end, archival documents and texts from the time comprise the scope of our research, which includes a literature review regarding the engineer’s actions. The article concludes that Birabén, in fact, sought to encourage the creation of a bibliographic office in Brazil in accord with the guidelines provided by the Brussels Institute and other analogous guidelines adopted in other countries. The engineer did not know; however, that construction of the Bibliography and Documentation Service of the National Library was already under way, which resulted in this project being shelved as the Library Director Manoel Cicero Peregrino da Silva´s project stepped to the fore.