Minibiblioteca itinerante livre: implementação na BSBB da Universidade Federal da Paraíba

Abstract

Mobile libraries serve as a means of promoting access to reading by disseminating their main product: books. This paper analyses the development of the Minibiblioteca Livre Livros Livres project since its inception within the Berilo Borba Sectoral Library (BSBB) of the Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CCSA) at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), as perceived by the librarian/supervisor of the project. This is a descriptive study based on participatory research, using a structured questionnaire and descriptions drawn from participants’ accounts of their experiences during the Integrated Practice Laboratory IV module in the 2024.2 term as data collection tools. The data reveals that the notion of definitive ownership of a book – “it’s mine” – remains strong, in contrast to the idea of letting go of books, the circulation of copies, and the encouragement of book donations by the academic community, all of which contribute to the longevity of the project, which focuses on making literary works available to its users. The ‘Minibiblioteca Livre Livros Livres’ project demonstrates that there are other ways to promote the cultural and social enrichment of the UFPB academic community by encouraging reading, free of charge and on a mobile basis. It is concluded that changes should be adopted to improve the project’s development with regard to detailed information on access to and collection of the works made available; this approach may facilitate the project’s maintenance by avoiding misunderstandings regarding its use/function