A educação patrimonial na Biblioteca Pública do Maranhão: um estudo acerca dos serviços educativos da Biblioteca Pública Benedito Leite (BPBL)

Abstract

Research on the educational services of the Benedito Leite Public Library (BPBL) and its contributions to the preservation of the memory and cultural heritage of the state of Maranhão. It is an exploratory and descriptive study, with qualitative and quantitative approach, which used bibliographic and documentary research, mixed questionnaires with 62 (sixty-two) of Benedito Leite’s users and visitors, semi-structured interview with the management team and 2 (two) tourism professionals, who are responsible for planning and conducting the educational services, as well as systematic observation between August and September 2019, to investigate from an interdisciplinary perspective how these educational services occur in the institution and what are their effects on the awareness and preservation of the state's memory and cultural heritage. It aims to investigate the heritage education developed at Benedito Leite, regarding the educational services aimed at preserving Maranhão’s memory. It discusses public libraries and portrays Benedito Leite Library, based on authors such as Almeida Júnior (1997), Bernardino and Suaiden (2011), Suaiden (2018), Milanesi (2013), Flusser (1980; 1983), Mendes (2014), Braga (2013), Castro, Silva and Castellanos (2011), among others. It addresses the multiple concepts of cultural heritage and heritage education, based on studies of Choay (2006), Gonçalves (2003), Ferraz (2015), Calabre (2013; 2009), Cutrim (2011), Dultra and Vieira (2014), Detoni (2016), Wichers (2011), Cardoso (2013), Horta, Grunberg, and Monteiro (1999), Florêncio (2015), Florêncio et al. (2014). It presents different understandings about memory and demarcates the intersections of these concepts with the practices in public libraries. Therefore, it dialogues with authors as Halbwachs (2006), Pollak (1989; 1992), Nora (1993), Silveira (2010; 2012a; 2012b; 2014). It describes the methodology path that has guided this investigation development. It details the type of research, the investigation place, the participants, as well as the data collection instruments, data collection procedures and analysis of results. It notes the role of BPBL not only as a safeguard agent for material goods (books, manuscripts, journals, historical artifacts, among others) but as a mediator and a way for individuals to take ownership of their history, recognize themselves as Maranhão citizens and renew their identity ties. It emphasizes the heritage education as one of the methodologies capable of contributing to the cultural awareness through the engagement and construction of identity relationships with the cultural heritage, its multiple expressions and meanings. It distinguishes the place of Benedito Leite in Maranhão society, as a physical and symbolic space for preserving the memory of a people and its history, as well as its function, which goes beyond the mere gathering of informative material goods, as it constitutes a locus of sociability of the subjects that strengthens their identities and contributes to the recognition of their cultural roots. It denotes that educational services are not only the core activities of the Reference and Information Sector (SRI) but also important channels to achieve cultural awareness and acknowledgment of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, Maranhão popular culture and bibliographic heritage produced in the state. It concludes that educational services might be ways to preserve and echo memory in all municipalities of Maranhão.