MUSEUM LIBRARIES

A LOOK AT BRAZILIAN PUBLIC POLICIES IN THE CONTEXT OF MARANHÃO

Abstract

Museum libraries are places of perpetuation of humanity's cultural historical heritage and spaces for dialogue that corroborate the organization, preservation and dissemination of knowledge. However, these units of information are rarely contemplated by effective cultural public policies, both at the federal level and in the Maranhão scenario. Even the regulations that target the book, reading and library sectors as well as the guidelines that benefit museum institutions end up neglecting these spaces. From this perspective, the objective of this research is to propose a preliminary analysis of public information and culture policies aimed at museum libraries, through the mapping and discussion of normative acts, verifying the level of support and promotion provided to them. The study employs a qualitative approach; as the research is in its initial development phase, the methodology relies on bibliographic and documentary research procedures. The results indicate that laws, decrees, and other legal documents do not provide legal support for these libraries, directly resulting in a lack of budgetary funding. It is concluded that there is a shortage of instruments and regulatory acts addressing museum libraries at both national and state levels, a situation that may limit their capacity to act as agents for the preservation of memory and culture.