Lugar para estar: a frequência de pessoas em situação de rua na biblioteca pública

Abstract

Considering scarce Brazilian academic research on the attendance of people experiencing homelessness in the public library, the objective of this article is to carry out an analysis on the subject, investigating whether this institution can fulfill its social role, and also, if it represents a welcoming place to this group of users. In order to do so, we proceed to the bibliographic research, focusing on the national and foreign production on the subject, combined with field survey through punctual interviews with staff members of two public libraries of reference of the city of São Paulo: Biblioteca Mário de Andrade and Biblioteca de São Paulo. We observe points in common between what theory says and what we learned from the interviews and also confluences between the interviews themselves, as it was agreed that people experiencing homelessness are a heterogeneous group, with different needs, and that the public library welcomes them. In addition, the respondents were against the offer of specific services targeting this group of people, although this was questioned. Lastly, we can comprehend that the public library has a very significant social role and responsibility, being of great importance in the lives of these people, mainly as a representation of shelter.