OPENING AND CLOSING DOORS: Diagnosis of the Municipal Public Libraries in the North Metropolitan Area of Recife -PE

Abstract

In the state of Pernambuco there are presently, at full operational work, 179 public libraries, all of them connected through Pernambucos Public Libraries System. At the North Metropolitan Region of Recife, source of this essay, there are six of these institutions, respectively in Araçoiaba, Itamaracá, Itapissuma, Igarassu, Paulista and Olinda. Abreu e Lima city has no public library. Starting from documents analysis, questionnaires and local observation made by the researcher, with the objective of analyzing the libraries functions and its contribution to the state social, cultural and educational , development. The subsequent diagnose reveals that the institutions restrain their activities to the educational purpose only, having little contribution to the communities culture. The research also reveals the lack of public politic regulation for the libraries, which reflects directly in loss, absence and low growth of physical space, equipments, technological resources and the absolute need of capable human resources. Not to mention the importance of the Pernambucos Public Libraries System, that tries to ease and minimize the above-discussed problems.