Origins of Public Policies for Bibliographic Heritage in Brazil in the XXth Century

The present investigation looks at the public policies established in Brazil, at the national level, from 1930 to ca. 1945 relating to the preservation of bibliographical heritage. A brief history of the book in Brazil from the colonial period and a survey of policies regarding basic education serve as a basis for a review of patrimony issues pertaining to books and documents. The Ministry of Education, Mário de Andrade, and the Biblioteca Nacional are the key actors in this story, which concludes with the thought that much of the situation at present has roots dating back to 1937

Origins of Public Policies for Bibliographic Heritage in Brazil in the XXth Century

The present investigation looks at the public policies established in Brazil, at the national level, from 1930 to ca. 1945 relating to the preservation of bibliographical heritage. A brief history of the book in Brazil from the colonial period and a survey of policies regarding basic education serve as a basis for a review of patrimony issues pertaining to books and documents. The Ministry of Education, Mário de Andrade, and the Biblioteca Nacional are the key actors in this story, which concludes with the thought that much of the situation at present has roots dating back to 1937

O Livro Raro e Antigo como Patrimônio Bibliográfico: Aportes Históricos e Interdisciplinares

The term patrimony has multiple meanings, as found in various fields of knowledge. This research discusses the birth of the idea of heritage in the modern era (implemented and solidified in the contemporary age), and its development as applied specifically to bibliographic heritage. It was observed that many concepts used in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in such areas as anthropology and museology, among others, can be applied to deepen discussions in rare book librarianship in what concerns the understanding and boundaries of our written patrimony in Brazil

Early Printing in Brazil

“Early Printing in Brazil” may appear to be an impossible subject to write about. A more accurate title might be “Books without a press: a history of early printing in Brazil, mostly from abroad,” or “The non-history of printing in Brazil during the colonial period,” or even “The history of the absence of early books printed in Brazil.” One might even ask: “What is early printing in Brazil, exactly?” There were practically no early Brazilian imprints, if we understand “early” to mean the colonial period which, in the case of Brazil, was a little over three centuries. It is not a common history compared to other colonies. The European discovery (or arrival) by the Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral was in 1500; the first official printing press was installed in 1808

As duas culturas e os reflexos no mundo atual nas Ciências e na Ciência da Informação

Refers to the differences between the Sciences and the Humanities as described in Charles Snow's famous lecture on The Two Cultures, presented at the University of Cambridge in 1959. For Snow, the industrialization was the only path to advancement by poor countries. That argument was not altogether new. In the Unites States, there had been occasions when the importance of the Sciences for the development of that country had been debated, and the relevance of the Humanities, as well, as the basis of forming productive thinking habits. Despite the marked differences between the various disciplines of the Sciences and between those and the Humanities, there are similarities in the methods of the Two Cultures. In History, for instance, scholarly communication practices approximate those in the Sciences. Recent research in Information Science in Brazil, looking at the current practices of historians of Colonial Brazil, show similarities to practices that until the 1980s were especially characteristic of the Natural Science, such as multiple authorship of articles, participation in collaborative projects, and the heavy use of technologies of information and communication There is evidence that nowadays the gap between the Sciences and the Humanities has become smaller. Snow’s ideas are a contribution to the History of Sciences and to Information Science, even though the Sciences have suffered major transformations due to the epistemic approximations proper of interdisciplinarity

O Livro Raro e Antigo como Patrimônio Bibliográfico: aportes históricos e interdisciplinares

The term cultural heritage has multiple meanings, as found in various fields of knowledge. This research discusses the birth of the idea of heritage in the modern era (implemented and solidified in the contemporary age), and its development as applied specifically to bibliographic heritage. It was observed that many concepts used in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in such areas as anthropology and museology, among others, can be applied to deepen discussions in rare book librarianship in what concerns the understanding and boundaries of our written heritage in BrazilA pluralidade do termo patrimônio enseja múltiplas leituras em diversos campos do conhecimento. A presente pesquisa aborda o nascimento da concepção de patrimônio no final da era moderna (implantado e solidificado na idade contemporânea) e seus desdobramentos para o patrimônio bibliográfico. Observou-se que muitos conceitos utilizados nos séculos XIX e XX, entre outras áreas na Antropologia e na Museologia, podem ser aplicados no sentido de aprofundar discussões na Biblioteconomia de Livros Raros, no que diz respeito ao entendimento e às fronteiras do patrimônio escrito no Brasil.&nbsp

Livro-raro objeto em Museu Casa Histórica: o caso do Museu Plantin Moretus

The first books in the world printed from movable metal type, whose European appearance is credited to Johannes Gutenberg in about 1450, are today relatively rare and valuable, either because of their intrinsic or extrinsic characteristics. Sheer chronological age and artisanship add value, as do the historical importance of the work and its content. Printed books are sometimes regarded almost like a museum object, appreciated for their beauty alone. The research aims to show that these books are the heritage of libraries but also of museums. Through literature related to historic houses museums the case of the Plantin-Moretus Museum, created in 1555, will be portrayed. Plantin-Moretus, founded as a public institution in the nineteenth century, is generally regarded as the most important museum of European typography in the world. Several rooms have been preserved exactly as they were in the seventeenth century, including presses dating from 1600, and the museum houses archival documentation unmatched worldwide. In this piece I also take up the question, among others, of authenticity versus representation in historical museum exhibitions. In the history of business or manufacturing, one typically finds a representation of the past rather than its preservation. Old factories get torn down and their machines and other contents destroyed. But thanks to the practices of the Plantin-Moretus family and the commitment of the city of Antwerp, we have in this museum actual continuity from the past, with unchanged space. In this universe, a patrimony of rare books is in an ideal home, not in a library, as might be expected, but in a museum context where the objects remain in the same location in which they were born

O Livro Raro e Antigo como Patrimônio Bibliográfico: Aportes Históricos e Interdisciplinares

The term patrimony has multiple meanings, as found in various fields of knowledge. This research discusses the birth of the idea of heritage in the modern era (implemented and solidified in the contemporary age), and its development as applied specifically to bibliographic heritage. It was observed that many concepts used in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in such areas as anthropology and museology, among others, can be applied to deepen discussions in rare book librarianship in what concerns the understanding and boundaries of our written patrimony in Brazil

Early Printing in Brazil

“Early Printing in Brazil” may appear to be an impossible subject to write about. A more accurate title might be “Books without a press: a history of early printing in Brazil, mostly from abroad,” or “The non-history of printing in Brazil during the colonial period,” or even “The history of the absence of early books printed in Brazil.” One might even ask: “What is early printing in Brazil, exactly?” There were practically no early Brazilian imprints, if we understand “early” to mean the colonial period which, in the case of Brazil, was a little over three centuries. It is not a common history compared to other colonies. The European discovery (or arrival) by the Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral was in 1500; the first official printing press was installed in 1808

Considerações sobre o uso do catálogo de obras raras na Biblioteca Nacional: subsídios para viabilizar a automação do catálogo principal e otimizar o atendimento ao público local e a outras bibliotecas

A brief history of the National Library of Brazil is presented as well as some issues related to rare books collections in the country. A study on the development of catalogs and cataloging including catalog use - based on national and international approaches - pinpoints major findings to back the research. The work also contemplates users’ study identifying traits and trends aiming to collect meaningful data for automation and service betterment purposes. At the same time, a questionnaire was sent to other rare books collections in the country in otherto assess their actual situation The results of the study showed that the way cataloging has been done in the last 8 years is extremely detailed, and may not attend the users needs. Recommendations were made in order not only to simplify itfor automation purposes, but also to attend these needs. For other rare books collections in the country, recommendations were made in other to improve their organization and services, with the National Library consulting.CAPESApresenta-se um histórico da Biblioteca Nacional do Brasil e da questão das obras raras, tanto do ponto de vista técnico quanto do administrativo, e também a situação das coleções de obras raras de outras bibliotecas no país para as quais a Biblioteca Nacional presta assistência técnica. Para embasamento teórico da pesquisa, levantou-se a história dos catálogos, da catalogação, e os estudos de uso de catálogo, no exterior e no Brasil. O estudo foi realizado tendo como objetivos determinar como o usuário da Divisão de Obras Raras (DIORA) utiliza o catálogo, visando a melhoria no atendimento e, principalmente, a automação do catálogo. Paralelamente, procurou-se verificar a real situação de outras coleções de livros raros no país para melhor adequar o assessoramento que a Biblioteca Nacional oferece. Os resultados do estudo demonstraram que a forma como vem sendo realizada a catalogação em planilha nos últimos 8 anos (livros dos séculos XVI e XVII) e extremamente detalhada e pode não atender as necessidades de informação dos usuários quando colocadas no catálogo automatizado. Quanto as outras coleções do pais, observou-se que ainda estão em estágio de identificação e tratamento técnico, necessitando de orientação básica quanto aos serviços que uma seção de obras raras deve oferecer aos seus usuários. Recomendações são feitas, entre outras, para que a catalogação de livros raros da Biblioteca Nacional seja repensada no sentido de atender as reais necessidades de informação dos usuários, isto é, deve ter em vista a simplificação como finalidade de automação, que e a tendência registrada na literatura estrangeira. Em relação as outras coleções brasileiras, recomenda-se uma reformulação nos serviços do PLANOR no que diz respeito aos aspectos técnicos e administrativos tendo em vista a otimização da assessoria que a Biblioteca Nacional presta a essas bibliotecas