The defense of the doctoral thesis of the coordinator of the Prof. Joel Martins Library (BJM), linked to the Faculty of Education of Unicamp (FE-Unicamp), Simone Lucas Gonçalves de Oliveira, highlighted an important reflection on the role of university libraries in academic training, especially in the Pedagogy course.
The research, supervised by Prof. Dr. Ezequiel Theodoro da Silva, identified the need for libraries to be actively present in academic units, as well as their daily use by students to develop information skills, which are fundamental to teacher training. This role is even more relevant in the context of BJM, created in 1972, the year the School of Education was founded, which has a robust and historically significant collection.
BJM brings together a rich physical and digital collection, including historical periodicals and special collections. more than 100 thousand physical books, 300 thousand issues of periodicals and academic materials, in addition to collections such as that of sociologist Maurício Tragtenberg, consisting of 10 thousand volumes. Access is also extended to the general public, which expands its social and educational function, favoring the development of skills such as the search, evaluation and critical use of information.
This dynamic is aligned with the proposal of the Pedagogy course’s Political-Pedagogical Project, which provides for the training of research teachers. However, according to Simone, the BJM is not yet integrated as a structuring axis of this process. For the FE library to truly become an active space for investigative training, it is essential to promote greater coordination between librarians and teachers, with ongoing information literacy actions. The intersection between Education, Library Science and Information Science can promote more investigative, critical and transformative pedagogical practices, capable of strengthening students’ academic autonomy.
“We believe that BJM can be much more than a space for consultation — it can become a true center for critical and investigative training. To achieve this, it is essential that teachers and librarians work together to develop pedagogical strategies that involve students in meaningful research experiences. Strengthening this partnership is the path to a more powerful, transformative pedagogy that is committed to the production of knowledge,” said Simone.
In her thesis, the recent PhD graduate assessed the relevance of the FE library beyond its recognition as a center of excellence for information in Education in Latin America. With curated and reliable sources, the BJM enriches academic training at a time when misinformation and fake news are challenging Education. “The library is not a mere repository of books, but an active space for the construction of knowledge, where students must learn to navigate complex information and develop intellectual autonomy,” Simone highlighted.
Professor Ezequiel Theodoro da Silva emphasized that the problem goes beyond physical access to the collection: it is an educational culture that has historically marginalized the library as a learning tool. While in countries like the United States, libraries have been central to basic education since the beginning, in Brazil an expository model still predominates, in which knowledge is transmitted passively. “The pandemic, which could have been a moment of reinvention, only exposed this weakness: even with the expansion of digital resources, students have not migrated to the platforms, showing that the issue is not only technological, but also pedagogical,” analyzed the professor.
In light of this scenario, the research proposes concrete actions, such as the explicit inclusion of BJM in the course's Political-Pedagogical Project and the creation of an information literacy program, in partnership with teachers. The proposal is to encourage the active use of the collection and stimulate original research, transforming the library into a daily space for critical training. As Professor Ezequiel recalled: “the library is a treasure available to everyone, but it only fulfills its role if it is experienced and not just visited.”
The BJM coordinator's thesis, therefore, goes beyond a diagnosis: it is a call to value the culture of library experience in the university context. In a world saturated with superficial information and algorithms, the ability to research with depth and discernment becomes increasingly urgent. This skill begins with direct contact with books, articles and spaces that store accumulated knowledge — and which, when used well, have the power to transform society through education.
