Librarian competencies in a School Library Network for the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil

Abstract

In a study resulting from the approval in 2010 in Brazil, of a federal law that requires every Brazilian school to have a library, the librarians in the state of Santa Catarina conceived a management model to attend the school libraries of the public system of this state. Based on this model we seek to broaden the discussion on the librarian's role in order to increase jobs in Brazilian schools, leading us to raise some questions about the powers and duties of this professional in a school network. Thus, we try to open the debate on the librarian's role in basic education, on the limits and possibilities of this professional activity, on the information needs of the school community, and on the involvement of the professional class with this theme. The expansion of these professionals in the school environment contributes to a greater visibility of their performance in the Brazilian education scene. Given this reality, this article deals with the Santa Catarina educational context, the librarian's role in the system of professions, and finally, on the skills of this professional in a network model.