The Library of the Federal Justice Cultural Center (CCJF), in the light of IFLA guidelines for public libraries

Abstract

The Federal Justice Cultural Center (CCJF) is located in Rio de Janeiro, in the historical building that was the headquarters of the Supreme Court until 1960. The Library of CCJF was opened in 2003 and it is characterized as a Public Thematic Library of Arts, and aims to offer for the community a differentiated space providing information, culture and recreation for the citizens. With exploratory research methodology, this poster intends to find out if the Library of the Federal Justice Cultural Center fits in the topics related to the mission of Public Libraries established by International Federation of Library Associations - IFLA (1994). Public Thematic Libraries are hybrid; besides the general collection, they offer a specialized collection in a scientific or cultural area and promote cultural programming. Public Thematic Libraries are institutions that in a democratic way contribute to the cultural formation of the community in which they are inserted. Thus, the Public Library Missions established by IFLA were evaluated in the light of this particular aspect and framed within the Cultural Cycle established by Luiz Milanesi (2003) that determinates three fundamental verbs for cultural centers: to inform, to discuss and to create. At the end of this research, the work developed by the CCJF Library is analyzed, concluding that the library applies the missions established by IFLA to Public Libraries, as guiding principles that direct their actions. As a result of this study, it’s pointed out another mission to be applied to Public Thematic Libraries: to promote cultural action. We hope to contribute to new researches, considering the need for a guiding principle for Public Thematic Libraries in general.