Condições de acesso à informação no contexto do polo de apoio presencial da Universidade Aberta do Brasil

Abstract

The Open University of Brazil1 has been studied repeatedly by researchers. However, it can be assumed that regarding the work of the information professional – the librarian – and its insertion on the multidisciplinary team, the subject has been insufficiently debated under the view of the members of Public Institution of Higher Degree (IPES). This research deals with librarian role in the context of the Support Site at the UAB. The present work aims on investigating whether there exist libraries, which information access services are offered to students of the Supporting Sites of the UAB and whether there are librarians acting in conformity with the UAB system proposition as well following the Quality Standards of the Distance Learning and the evaluation tools of the Ministry of Education. The specific goals are to identify which information access services are being offered, from which Libraries, to the UAB students and also to determine how the librarian is performing at the Support Sites of the UAB. It was necessary, initially, to broaden the knowledge about the Distance Learning (EAD), the UAB and the legislation pertinent to this educational modality in Brazil in order to gain a better understanding and pursue the research goals, relying on the Support Sites of the UAB. This is a research of documental nature, also exploratory and descriptive following a quanti-qualitative approach and intends to collect data from the libraries at the Support Sites, based on the information provided by the Sites’ Coordinators randomly selected. An online questionnaire was made available and the data were analyzed and interpreted considering the purpose of the Support Sites of the UAB randomly selected. The results have shown that the libraries at the Support Sites still need to comply to the Distance Learning model presently implemented in the country for the Distance Learning and therefore do not fulfill the students’ needs. The results made clear that it is necessary to implement public measures both on a county and state levels, in order to maintain and operate the libraries in conformity to the present legislation. The study proposes improvements to conform the Sites’ libraries to the students using the Distance Learning offered by the IPES.