The Reception of Suzanne Briet in the United States

A library pioneer of the mid-20th century, Suzanne Briet was a driving force in expanding and modernizing library service and early information science in France. She is most well known for insightful writings on the concepts of bibliography and of documents and documentation. Despite international connections, Briet’s writings, almost exclusively in French, received little recognition in the United States during her lifetime. One influential commentator‘s review suggested misunderstanding of her key ideas. But historical interest in information science, largely from within ASIS&T, and translation and online distribution of her seminal writings have renewed scholarly interest in Briet’s work and established a place for her among notable information scientists.