Produção científica sobre biblioteca pública nos Programas de Pós-graduação em Ciência da Informaçãono Brasil

Abstract

This research had as its core issue the Public Library as subject of the Masters and Doctorate studies carried out in the realm of Information Science (IS). Our interest in the study emerged from the necessity of verifying the way universities have left room for a discussion on such theme, by means of their theses and dissertations in the field of IS. In this sense, it aimed at investigating the insertion of the Public Library and the frequency it was addressed in those studies; as well as which characteristics of this production and which focus was placed on the issue. Thus, the objective was to analyze the scientific output on the Public Library in Graduate Programs in Information Science in Brazil (PPGCI), recommended and renowned by Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes), encompassing the period from 1970 to 2015. It is a descriptive research, with a quantitative and qualitative approach. Procedures of bibliometric and content analyses were applied. 88 theses and dissertations were identified in 13 Graduate Programs in Information Science that addressed the Public Library. The results showed that the topic was more recurrent in the Programs of the Federal University of Paraíba, with 19 publications; Federal University of Minas Gerais, with 18 publications; University of São Paulo, with 13 publications, and University of Brasília, with 10 publications. Over the years from 1970 to 1978 and of 1986, 1987, 1995, 1998, 2003 and 2009 research on the issue was not found. The periods in which the Public Library was mostly researched were from 1980 to 1989, with 23 productions, and from 2010 to 2015, with 35 productions. 73 dissertations (83%) and 15 theses (17%) were identified. The analysis of the content enabled verifying that the studies focus, mainly, on six thematic categories, as follows: functions; service analysis; history and problems; planning and public policies for culture and information; culture/ mediation and user/ library use. These themes comprise 65 studies, representing 74% of the total amount. By analyzing a period of 45 years, one may note that little room was left for scientific output on the Public Library in research preference of the Graduate Programs in Information Science in Brazil. However, it was observed that such production has increased over the last five years, period in which 29 dissertations and theses were identified. This research showed that the issue on the Public Library has been addressed frequently, although in limited amounts and discontinuously.