Comportamento informacional dos leitores da biblioteca pública de Caxias do Sul

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the informational behavior of readers of the Dr Demetrio Niederauer Municipal Public Library, in Caxias do Sul. The paper seeks to bring together the concepts of “information user” (WILSON, 1981) and “reader” (SILVA, 2011; 2016; ), to align conceptual understandings of Information Sciences and Literature; understand the Informational Behavior model of Thomas Daniel Wilson (1981); identify the main sources of information (in relation to frequency of use and in relation to assigned reliability) accessed by users; and map the facilities and barriers associated with the use of the Municipal Public Library of Caxias do Sul. It presents a brief history of the public library institution in the world, from the political, social and economic transformations of the 18th and 19th centuries and outlines the historical panorama of the public library institution in Brazil from the creation of the first institution of this type in the country, in 1811. From this historical overview, it contextualizes the creation of the Municipal Public Library of Caxias do Sul and briefly presents its evolution to the present day. The data collection is done through questionnaires sent by e-mail to readers who used the home loan book service for a period of one yearbetween October 2019 and November 2020. It is concluded that there is a possible approximation between the concepts of user and reader, based on the consulted theorists, and that the Informational Behavior model (WILSON, 1981) is a valid tool for conducting user studies. Through this model, it is possible to identify the role of barriersin the search for information by the Public Library user/reader, raising the main difficulties identified in the questionnaires, and suggesting ways to circumvent or reduce them. [resumo fornecido pelo autor]