The ethnography in library and information science: a method for virtual spaces

Objective: To identify the relevance and the application of ethnography as methodology in Library and Information Science (LIS), and in cyberspace. Methods: Bibliographical and documentary research is used in order to describe the main elements of ethnography. By searching the term "ethnography" in the Biblioteca Digital Brasileira de Teses e Dissertacoes was identified the research productions in LIS that used the method. Results: Considering the number of searches retrieved, only two presented a combination of methods, including ethnography. The sample shows a scarce production with ethnographic approach in the area, particularly in studies of cyberspace. Conclusions: The ethnography is a method that can be applied to different virtual environments and be used to understand cultural processes. Those spaces are environments of social interaction, that allow the development of new research to know forms of collaboration and sharing of knowledge and information.