Mediação e leitura na biblioteca escolar: estudo de casos múltiplos

Abstract

The research was conducted on what actions of mediation and reading motivation have been used by the team of professionals in school libraries in order to form readers more capable of composing a society of thinking citizens, opinion formers and critics, having the reading aid and support and, consequently, the appropriation of information. The goal was to investigate the work of school librarians who develops mediation actions and encourages reading in their own way of operating, or acting, in order to detect the most prominent characteristics that can contribute to the formation of readers, thus contributing to the complex formation of critical subjects with a taste for reading and autonomy in the search for information. As a reference framework, a theoretical study was elaborated and texts were analyzed to prepare the literature review on the subject and other pertinent themes such as critical reading, mediation and reading, appropriation of information through reading, taste for reading and librarian/teacher collaboration; they provided theoretical subsidies for the development of the research. Methodologically, a qualitative study of multiple cases was carried out based on the ethnographic theory. As for data collection, three school libraries in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte were selected to contemplate the different teaching configurations: private school libraries, and city public schools with elementary students. Observation and semistructured interviews were used to collect the data from library staff and from teachers who have collaborative projects with the library. Three librarians and eight teachers who developed mediation and reading activities in the library took part in the study. It was possible to verify with the research that the mediation and motivation activities are effective when the mediator has the ideal profile to act in this environment and when the reader is open to a continuous dialogue with the school and its members. The most effective activities of reader training cited were: mediating frequent meetings such as Reading Clubs where people get together to share readings for pleasure; getting in contact with authors; books borrowing and the dialogue with readers. The libraries involved developed mediation projects and encouraged reading among teachers and librarians, however, it was verified that Portuguese teachers does not engage in the environment as expected. Other areas teachers, on the other hand, have proved to be great mediators and reading motivators and they even took part in this research. It cold be verified that one of the municipal libraries recognized that the best incentive for readers is to allow access to books. Unanimity was perceived, in literature and in data analysis that the reading training librarian and teachers need to know the literature, the authors, the literary genres and, especially, share their readings, as being a role model is the best motivator. Finally, it was considered that for the adequate performance of the activities of mediation and incentive to read, the institution needs to enter the trinity: planning, formalization and collaboration. Indeed, it has been assumed that the librarian needs to have the competence and skill attached to education and management to make this work effective.