Bibliotecas no contexto da educação a distância: estudo de caso em uma Instituição de Ensino Superior

Abstract

This research has as main objective to analyse the current reality of libraries inserted on distance learning context, within the ambit of a Higher Education Institution (HEI). The study is developed in the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), which offers undergraduate and graduate courses through the distance learning study mode since 2005. The mentioned HEI utilises face-to-face support centres from the Universidade Aberta do Brasil (UAB) [a Brazilian government system integrated by public universities that offers higher education distance learning courses in order to facilitate the access of a certain portion of the population to higher education] as operational support units to receive students in a few face-to-face meetings required during the courses. Centres are located in several cities of Rio Grande do Norte state, and they must have an adequate structure, containing administrative and academic environments, one of the most important being the library. An informational unit of this nature needs to be organised in conformity with the distance learning regulatory framework, especially according to the following normative instruments from the Ministério da Educação (MEC) [Ministry of Education]: institutional accreditation instrument and Referenciais de Qualidade para Educação Superior a Distância [Quality Benchmarks for Distance Learning Higher Education]. The methodology used in this search corresponds to an exploratory and descriptive case study with a quantitative-qualitative approach. The participants of this research are the UAB/UFRN centre coordinators. Major results indicate that most of the libraries are not structurally adequate to serve its target audience, since they are not computerised; do not offer important services as document normalisation and preparation of catalogue records; also, they do not have librarians working in these information units. In this sense, it is understood that the upcoming actions can be developed in order to improve the supply of informational products and services to distance learning users: participation of the library from the courses supplier HEI in this process; creation of a specific sector to assist the various actors participating in this education modality in the institution; librarians hiring, to act in the centres libraries and in the multidisciplinary professional team of the UFRN distance learning.