The Prof. Joel Martins Library (BJM), part of the Unicamp School of Education (FE-Unicamp), was officially recognized as a public university library after completing its registration process with the São Paulo State Public Library System (SisEB), which was completed in the first half of June this year. With this, the BJM also becomes part of the National Public Library System (SNBP), a federal policy created in 1992 to encourage free access to reading, books, and information as a citizen's right.
This achievement represents recognition for a historic initiative by the library: opening its doors to the general public, especially teachers and students from the Campinas municipal public school system. The importance of the university library is evident in the appreciation shown by the Campinas public school community.
Schools frequently request visits from teachers and students, citing the library at the School of Education as a significant cultural, social, and educational institution in the city of Campinas. Being a public library, the BJM library can participate in funding calls, host in-person training sessions at SisEB, participate in cultural and literary programs, and receive copies of updated works destined for São Paulo state public libraries.
According to BJM director Simone Lucas Gonçalves de Oliveira, recognition as a public library is more than a formality. "It's a way to legitimize what we've always done: offering quality professional services, being an open, collaborative, and welcoming library, supporting student education and academic research, and welcoming the wider community for cultural, reading, and outreach activities," she reiterates.
University libraries, such as BJM, aim to support teaching, research and extension, but are also recognized as cultural facilities (MinC, 2024), in line with the IFLA/Unesco Manifesto for Public Libraries, which advocates the democratization of access to information as a public good.
In this sense, the new feature does not change the operating rules — which follow the guidelines of the Unicamp Library System (SBU) — and also expands the possibilities for dialogue with society.
Progress and challenges
The integration of BJM into SisEB brings new opportunities, but also raises challenges. Campinas still lacks a Municipal Book, Reading, Literature, and Library Plan (PMLLLB), an instrument that could strengthen networking among university, municipal, and community libraries, Simone notes.
BJM's recognition paves the way for this debate. "Our hope is to contribute to a dialogue with other public libraries to identify opportunities for creating a municipal plan that systematizes actions and gives greater visibility to reading and culture in the city," emphasizes Simone.
By officially becoming public, the Prof. Joel Martins Library confirms its role as an intermediary between the university and society, especially among the population of the Barão Geraldo district and neighboring neighborhoods in Campinas.
The initiative is in line with national policies for the democratization of reading and expands Unicamp's presence in the São Paulo cultural scene, concludes BJM's Lead Publications Manager, Roberta Rabello Fiolo Pozzuto.
