Dissemination and democratization of information access in rural communities: the role of librarians in the Mini Libraries project

Abstract

This paper articulates the history of the Mini Library project, the current situation and the contributions of librarians in the project advancement. The Mini Libraries project is an innovative proposal for the dissemination and popularization of scientific knowledge generated by Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Company). Through this project Embrapa distributes kits containing a collection of print publications, videos and radio programs to encourage reading and productive inclusion in rural areas. The project is very well received in the benefited communities, but it needs some improvements to improve its efficiency. In this paper we propose two solutions to help in the project operation: a Mini Library web portal, to improve the communication with users and mediators participating in the project; a control and borrowing scheme for the collection.