Avaliação da biblioteca pública estadual de Minas Gerais: democracia, acesso à leitura e o declínio do empréstimo de livros entre 2006 e 2023

Abstract

The Minas Gerais State Public Library (BPEMG) is a cultural facility embedded in the historical and social context of the state of Minas Gerais and its capital: Belo Horizonte. BPEMG, which turned 70 in 2024, has the mission of promoting the expansion of library services to the population of Minas Gerais, through the democratization of access to reading, literature, and information. There has been a decline in book loans since 2006, according to information from its computerized collection management system. The volume of book loans from BPEMG has decreased annually and has been reduced by more than half in ten years. In 2023, after almost three years of closure due to construction work and the isolation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, there were only around 20,000 loans. This paper analyzes this decline, understanding it as a proxy for BPEMG's institutional and democratic role. Theories highlight the role of libraries as social spaces for learning, critical reflection and debate, in close harmony with society, reflecting its diversity. Based on this framework, a documentary analysis was carried out based on reports from managers of key areas of BPEMG, in order to understand how the institution perceives and evaluates this problem, as well as, from a comparative perspective, how theory can guide actions to mitigate this situation, which ultimately guides the Educational Action Plan.