A influência dos booktubers nas bibliotecas de Belo Horizonte

Abstract

The popularization of Internet usage has brought many changes across various sectors. Among these are digital influencers, present on digital media platforms, creating content with diverse themes that somehow influence others. In this scenario, the existence of literary digital influencers has been verified, specifically for this research, those present on YouTube, known as booktubers. This dissertation aims to analyze the influence of booktubers on the development of collections in public libraries and private schools in the city of Belo Horizonte. The choice to research booktubers is based on the current relevance of the topic and its implications for libraries, as well as being a subject little explored in the academic context regarding its relationship with libraries. A literature review was conducted using Scopus, Web of Science, and BRAPCI databases, following search protocols and strings combining research descriptors. The theoretical framework is divided into four parts, with the first focusing on digital marketing and influencer marketing. The second part begins with digital media, followed by digital influencers, literary digital influencers, and culminating in booktubers. The third part highlights reader users and their relationships with the networked environment and books. In the fourth and final part of the theoretical framework, the focus shifts to public and school libraries, their functions, and the use of digital media. This study opted for a descriptive qualitative research approach, conducting in-depth individual interviews with 11 public libraries and private schools in Belo Horizonte. Additionally, a documentary research was conducted on booktuber channels with over 50 thousand subscribers, where videos were watched and 5 books recommended by each influencer were selected, and these were then researched in the catalogs of the participating libraries. As a result, it was observed that there is little influence from booktubers on the development of collections in public libraries and private schools in the city of Belo Horizonte, although some units have more influence than others. Regarding the research conducted in the library catalogs, it was noticed that there are few books recommended by booktubers in their collections; only two units had larger quantities of recommended books. It is hoped that this research has sparked interest in libraries to follow booktubers and literary digital influencers, for the development of their collections and for better user service.