Arquivos na rede: a difusão de arquivos pessoais no âmbito da Rede de Museus e Espaços de Ciências e Cultura da UFMG

Abstract

Personal archives, when incorporated into public institutions, are subject to institutional guidelines aimed at democratization. The fulfillment of their social function is directly dependent on proper technical processing and well-qualified dissemination and access strategies. This study presents reflections, within the fields of Archival Science and Information Science, on the institutionalization of personal archives in Brazilian public universities, emphasizing the importance of institutional planning that ensures not only preservation and research, but also the communication of university heritage. It is based on the assumption that the archival functions of dissemination and access should not be treated as secondary; rather, they must be integrated into strategic institutional management—both conceptually and practically—to promote the inclusion of personal archives in broader initiatives of preservation, research, and communication, reaffirming their place within university heritage. A qualitative approach is adopted, grounded in a bibliographic review, with the aim of characterizing the specificities of personal archives in light of archival theory, discussing the active and dynamic nature of archival work in contemporary contexts, and highlighting dissemination as an essential function for the democratization of such collections. The discussion is conducted through an exploratory case study focusing on the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), seeking to identify the spaces that house personal archives within the UFMG Network of Museums and Centers for Science and Culture, as well as their participation in collective dissemination initiatives. The case study was developed in three stages: (1) an exploratory survey based on the institutional websites of the Network's member spaces, complemented by a bibliographic review and email contact to identify spaces holding personal archives; (2) a search in the Extension Information System (SIEX) to locate collective extension projects proposed by the Network related to the dissemination of personal archives; and (3) an analysis of extension work presented by scholarship holders from the Network at the Virtual Exhibition “Research and Extension in the Museum Network,” with an emphasis on the role of scientific communication actions in the dissemination of institutionalized collections in public universities. The dissertation is structured into three chapters: I) Fundamental Principles: The Nature of Personal Archives and Archival Work; II) From Me to Everyone: Dissemination as a Social Duty; III) “Caught in the Web?” The Dissemination of Personal Archives within the UFMG Network of Museums and Science and Culture Spaces. In conclusion, the study demonstrates the relevance of collaborative dissemination and access initiatives for the effective preservation, research, and communication of personal archives in university.