Letramento informacional no Brasil: práticas educativas de Bibliotecários em escolas de ensino básico

Abstract

This dissertation addresses school librarians educational practices and their contribution to student learning. The research was based in the following issues: 1) the perception of the difficulties of the librarian to help students in their research assignments, 2) the emergence of the concept of information literacy, 3) an awareness of the low visibility of the educational role of the school librarian in Brazil. This research aimed to understand educational practices of Brazilian school librarians, to what extent he was developing information literacy activities and what was the areas of expertise or the limits of competence of the librarian at school. Aqualitative/interpretative methodology was used. Data were collected through: 1) written reports of experiences of librarians, 2) semi-structured interviews, 3) discussion group. The sample was composed by 28 school librarians, 14 from public schools and 14 from private schools. In terms of geographical location the following states were included: Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Santa Catarina, Espírito Santo, Paraná, Goiás, Rio de Janeiro, Maranhão, covering the period from 1991 to 2007. The findings indicated that the main focus of the librarians practice is to attract users especially students to the library and to reading. The amount of activities aimed to guide research assignments is smaller. Considering that information literacy is characterized by an emphasis on learning through research, in this respect, the practice of librarians was revealed as incipient. While acknowledging the importance of the issue and their responsibility relating to it, they failed to systematize permanent and collective actions that distinguish the concept of information literacy.Librarians want to make the library a unique space for learning, different from the classroom. Despite the perceived tension between library and classroom, librarians are aware that their action do not suffice without the teacher, so they seek their collaboration. The multiplicity of actions that librarians develop in the school tends to make their role diffuse: it is especially difficult for the school community to understand the library as a space for learning. Librarians are engaged in activities that show their understanding of the need to educate students to learn from information, to search correctly, to be independent learners, but still need to go steps ahead to do so in a comprehensive manner.