Reading and school library public policies: perceiving the national and international scenarios

Abstract

School libraries are information units that promote reading and form the basis for users assimilate information in order to ascend socially in life. In this sense, public policies can assist for this purpose. Thus, this study aimed to verify bibliographical papers on reading and school libraries public policies in national and international scenarios. Methodologically, it was carried out a study of qualitative, bibliographic and descriptive approaches. Searches were undertaken in the Librarianship and Information Science Information Database (LISA), taking into account a search strategy using the terms: public policies, reading, school libraries and media center. The study presents a discussion between initial considerations about public policies, school libraries and book, reading and literature, in order to relate these themes and sharpen the results achieved. As a result, it was perceived that public policies for reading and school libraries in Brazil and abroad, mainly in the United States of America, are related to information, cultural, educational and health policies, as well as are to research, organizational development, services and electronic media. It is concluded that there are other perspectives on school libraries as complex information units beyond the book, reading, and literature approaches.