Paul Otlet was a Belgian lawyer, author, and bibliographer who is known for his work in the field of information science and for his contributions to the development of the modern information society. Otlet was born in Brussels, Belgium, in 1868 and studied law at the University of Brussels. He became interested in bibliography and the organization of knowledge early in his career, and is considered one of the pioneers of information science.
Otlet is known for his work on the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC), a system for organizing and classifying knowledge that is still in use today. He also developed the concept of the "Monde," a vast network of interconnected documents and information that could be accessed and searched using a set of standardized protocols and technologies. The Monde was a precursor to modern search engines and online databases.
Otlet's work on the Monde and the UDC was influential in the development of the modern information society and laid the foundation for many of the tools and technologies we use today to access and organize information. He is considered one of the founders of the field of information science and his work continues to be studied and recognized by scholars and researchers in the field.