A Agenda 2030 no âmbito da rede de bibliotecas públicas de Minas Gerais: perspectivas de atuação

Abstract

In recent years, the world has witnessed an intense debate about the rampant exploitation of natural resources and its consequences for the planet's survival. This debate highlights the urgent need for changes in how we exploit these resources, seeking a balance with the environment to ensure sustainable development in economic, socio-political, and environmental terms. In this context of reassessment and adoption of new values and practices, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda emerged in 2015. As a strategic element for the implementation of the SDGs, public libraries play a crucial role by adopting practices that ensure access to and use of information, which is essential for building a more sustainable, just, and equitable society. Based on this perspective, the present study sought to investigate how public libraries in Minas Gerais are promoting and implementing information services aligned with the SDGs. Classified as exploratory in terms of objectives and using bibliographic and documentary approaches for information gathering, the research employed electronic questionnaires and semi-structured interviews for the collection of verbal data. The research sample included 27 questionnaire respondents and eight interviewed librarians, selected based on their expressed consent in the questionnaire. For the bibliographic research, a "narrative review" was used for the selection of information sources, and "content analysis" was applied to address the data collected through the questionnaire and interviews. The results revealed that public libraries carry out informal planning of activities and actions developed for the community, without systematic alignment with the SDGs of the 2030 Agenda. It was also observed that the few existing information policies do not incorporate the SDGs, weakening the role of public libraries within their communities. Other findings include the lack of support from municipal administrations, reflected in the scarcity of financial resources for collection development and insufficient staffing for library structuring. Additionally, collections are outdated, mostly composed of donations from users and friends of the libraries. Inadequate support from the Departments of Culture and Education for developing information, education, and culture activities in libraries was also identified. Despite numerous challenges, public libraries manage to offer minimal services that meet the information needs of users. It is concluded that this research has met its objectives, serving as a valuable source of information for future studies on the topic. Furthermore, it contributes to the field of Librarianship and Information Science, especially in investigations with a social focus and cross-disciplinary characteristics.