School-Based Brazilian Librarianship: The Ruling Relations That Inform Its Professional Practice

Abstract

The need to equip today’s youth with complex information literacy and knowledge construction skills is a catalyst for change in the traditional practices of school librarians the world over. This necessary change led us to explore school library practices through a global lens. Creating innovative research partnerships with school librarians in other countries provides a space for inquiry that identifies barriers (as well as potential solutions to these barriers) to professional preparation of school librarians for the digital age. This research inquires “what are the similarities in the experiences and practices of school librarians across international boundaries in efforts to meet the needs of 21st century learners?” and more specifically “how do ruling relations impact and shape the experiences and practices of school librarians in Brazil?” Institutional Ethnography methodology is utilized to gain insight into the actualities of professional work lives, while examining the ruling relations that impact the institution. This paper presents findings from phase two of a study on school librarianship, conducted in the fall of 2015 in the State of Pará, Northwest Brazil.