Profissionais de arquivos do Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional frente ao espelho : uma pesquisa sobre suas necessidades informacionais com base no Modelo Sense-Making

Abstract

The archivist is often cited in academic productions as playing the role of information mediator. Recognizing that not only archivists occupy strategic positions in the management of the archives of the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute, this study proposes placing these employees in front of a mirror, so that they can have the opportunity to see their information needs reflected and also see themselves as information users. The aim of this research is to analyze the information needs in the work practice of archive professionals who are part of the institute's staff in units throughout Brazil. To this end, Brenda Dervin's Sense-Making Model was used as the main theoretical-methodological framework. As for the methodology, it is characterized as exploratory and descriptive research with field research and a quantitative and qualitative approach. A bibliographical review was carried out to provide the theoretical basis for the research. The universe of the research is made up of the agency's 22 archive professionals and the sample was made up of six civil servants who were willing to answer the interview chosen as the data collection instrument. The interview was semi-structured in order to better represent the interviewees' statements. After collection, the data obtained was analyzed and interpreted using Bardin's content analysis. The results of the research show that the archives professionals at the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute have a variety of information needs and to meet these needs they use various sources of information, such as: local databases, institutional consultation pages, the internet, other professionals and external institutions. The results also show that there are several barriers in the process of searching for and using information, including the presence of various informal databases, the lack of qualified support professionals, inadequate physical structures, a lack of internal training and a lack of institutional communication. It can be concluded that the archives professionals at the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute have a fragile professional performance. It is not possible to recognize adequate managerial support for the staff, with well-established and shared institutional information, which is sufficient for them to carry out their activities satisfactorily.