The collection adds up to 1.367.813 items from the Unicamp Library System, a fundamental instance in teaching, research and extension activities
The library of professor, essayist and literary critic Antonio Candido de Mello e Sousa, made up of approximately six thousand books, has just been donated by the intellectual's family to Unicamp. The transfer of the collection, which is already in the possession of the University, was made official through a letter signed on July 10th by Antonio Candido's three daughters, Ana Luisa Escorel, Laura de Mello e Souza and Marina de Mello e Souza. After being analyzed and catalogued, the volumes will be incorporated into the Special Collections and Rare Works of the Cesar Lattes Central Library (BC-CL).
The books that make up the library donated to Unicamp cover different areas of knowledge, including literature, history, sociology, anthropology and geography. Among the volumes there are also rare items, such as the first editions of works by Oswald de Andrade and Mário de Andrade, many of which contain dedications from these authors. There are also titles by Manuel Bandeira, Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Graciliano Ramos, Guimarães Rosa, Gilberto Freyre, Alvaro Lins, Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, Clarice Lispector and Lygia Fagundes Teles.
Furthermore, the collection consists of an important Proustiana, comprising a considerable number of editions of Marcel Proust's work, as well as studies on the French writer. “This is the set of books that Antonio Candido kept with him until he died, since throughout his life he donated significant quantities of titles to different libraries, including Unicamp. The books now offered as donations are the ones he chose to keep close to him, as well as the most valuable ones”, state the intellectual's daughters in a letter sent to the rector Marcelo Knobel.
The general coordinator of the University, Professor Teresa Atvars, considers it a great honor to receive Antonio Candido's library. “He helped build Unicamp, founding the Institute of Language Studies (IEL). Furthermore, he left a huge legacy in his areas of activity and actively participated in Brazilian life, especially in the defense of democracy”, points out the leader. According to the associate coordinator of BC-CL, Valéria dos Santos Gouveia Martins, “the volumes will initially be analyzed, cataloged and technically treated, to then be incorporated into the Special Collections and Rare Works and made available for consultation”, she explains.
The choice of the University to receive Antonio Candido's library is a recognition of the importance of the institution and also of the Unicamp Library System (SBU). The SBU, which is linked to the General Coordination of the University (CGU), is made up of 29 libraries, one central, one area (Engineering) and 27 located in faculties, institutes and research centers and nuclei. More than storing books, this system constitutes a valuable set of information sources, available on various media, which include databases, library catalogues, institutional repositories, patents, theses, scientific journals, etc.
The numbers related to the SBU are impressive due to their size and reveal the indispensable support that the system offers to teaching, research and extension activities. According to the latest consolidated data, the collection has 1.367.813 items. Among them, 42.311 electronic journals, 484 databases and 273.674 e-books. In 2017, the SBU budget was R$12,9 million. “It is essential for Unicamp to have a library complex that adequately meets the academic needs of undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as the areas of research and innovation”, understands the general coordinator. According to Professor Teresa Atvars, the SBU is historically considered, by all administrations, as strategic for the University's activities.
Valéria Martins notes that the SBU maintains contacts and collaborations with the best libraries abroad. “Our activities have international standards. We are always working to update our collections and services. Furthermore, professionals linked to the system periodically participate in courses and conferences. With each experience of this kind, we promote a meeting in which we share the knowledge acquired with the entire team”, she reports.
In parallel to these activities, the SBU develops specific actions with each of its audiences. In the case of undergraduate students, for example, there is a concern to transmit good research practices to this segment. “We have been working to clarify students about what plagiarism is and how to cite them in their academic work. We use the software Turnitin, which verifies the originality of the texts, pointing out the similarities between the text presented and the documents contained in the system's database and internet pages. We also intend to soon offer undergraduate students, following the guidelines of our strategic planning, a workshop to guide them in using our information resources in the best possible way”, says the SBU associate coordinator.
In relation to research, continues Valéria Martins, the system consolidated an important partnership with the Dean of Research (PRP), in order to further qualify Unicamp's scientific production repository and the management of research data. “A point that we have highlighted to our teachers and researchers is the importance of using ORciD [Open Researcher and Contributor ID], a digital identification tool that allows the user to store and manage information related to their production with scientific entities”, it says. It is expected that all professors and researchers at Unicamp will soon adopt this “identity”.
In the scope of extension, SBU has actively participated over the last few years in important University programs, such as Science and Art on Vacation, aimed at students in the first and second year of high school at public schools in Campinas, Valinhos, Vinhedo and Jaguariúna, Limeira and Piracicaba; and UniversIDADE, created to offer people over 50, whether or not they are part of the university community, a set of activities capable of keeping them physically and mentally active.
new moment
Professor Teresa Atvars highlights the importance of the library system being constantly modernized and in contact with its audiences. “As technology evolves, we also have to evolve. The 'library' model from the time I entered Unicamp, to do postgraduate studies, no longer exists. It is no longer just a building that 'houses' books and a source of consultation. Today, thanks to resources in the area of Information and Communication Technology, the library no longer opens or closes. A defended thesis, a book, a manuscript and a work can be consulted via the internet, at any time of the day or night, from Monday to Sunday. At the same time, we have users who want or need to physically come to our units. This forces us to be prepared to adequately serve both online and in-person users,” she explains.
At the same time, adds the general coordinator, there is a growing demand from SBU users for shared spaces, environments in which studies and discussions can take place collectively. “We are moving towards this model, like what some libraries abroad are doing”, guarantees Valéria Martins. According to her, the SBU is analyzing the creation of a Maker Space, a place that encourages the concept of “digital manufacturing”. In it, users get their hands dirty to collaboratively bring concreteness to different projects.
It is also essential to highlight, according to Professor Teresa Atvars, the importance of physical collections, given that they have a strong historical component, an important aspect for any area of knowledge. “This is a heritage that needs to be preserved. Professor Antonio Candido's library adds to several others. The balance between the modern and traditional libraries offers an enormous wealth of possibilities to our academic production”, analyzes the teacher.
Accessibility
A prominent component of the SBU's work is its Accessibility Laboratory (LAB), a pioneer in Brazil. Created in 2002 with the support of the São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Fapesp), the objective of the LAB is to provide users with special needs with an adequate environment to carry out their studies and research, with greater autonomy and independence. The space is located on the first floor of BC-CL. Opening hours are Monday to Friday, from 9am to 17pm.
According to professor Teresa Atvars, it is one thing to have a library capable of serving people without any special needs. Another is to have a space perfectly set up to also serve users with disabilities. “We have resources that allow a blind person, for example, to access knowledge. We have not yet reached the ideal point, but Unicamp is one of the few Brazilian universities where a visually impaired person can attend a class, overcoming some of their difficulties. It is strategic that we continue to look for the best ways to support people with disabilities”, declares the general coordinator.
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http://www.unicamp.br/unicamp/unicamp_hoje/ju/dezembro2006/ju346pag6-7.html
http://www.unicamp.br/unicamp/unicamp_hoje/ju/maio2004/ju250pag05.html