Research maps demands and profiles users of the Joel Martins Library at the Faculty of Education.
The survey points to the need for improvements in the building's accessibility and acoustics, as well as suggesting the transformation of the space into an educational and cultural center and a place to combat misinformation.
Simone Lucas
Fabiana Alves
A survey conducted between September and November 2025 mapped the needs, interests, and satisfaction levels of users of the Joel Martins Library, linked to the Faculty of Education (FE) at Unicamp. With 72 responses obtained, the study indicated ways to improve services and bring the space closer to students, especially those in the Pedagogy course.
The research was motivated by the results of a doctoral thesis by the library coordinator, Simone Lucas Gonçalves de Oliveira, whose findings indicated, among other factors, the need for a closer relationship between the library and future teachers during their academic training. The project was led by Fabiana Alves, from the Library's Management and Research Support sector, and utilized analytical methodologies. SWOT1 e Likert2The cross-referencing of information was supported by the Gemini Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) tool.
The data collected indicates that the library's main institutional asset is its human capital, with the staff receiving high credibility from the community.
Regarding the physical space, thermal comfort, the organization of the collections, the internal garden, and the visual communication were well-evaluated by users. On the other hand, two main points of dissatisfaction were recorded: excessive noise, which hinders introspective reading, and the lack of accessibility. Among the solutions suggested by the community are the acoustic separation of environments—with clear signage for quiet areas—and the installation of elevators to ensure the inclusion of people with special needs.
The library in the digital age.
The study also assessed the public's perception of the library's role in the face of new technologies. Respondents stated that the space remains relevant even with the advancement of tools such as ChatGPT and the ease of internet access. The library was classified as an important agent for promoting open science, guaranteeing scientific integrity, and combating misinformation.fake newsFor the undergraduate audience in Pedagogy (representing 18 people in the survey), the research identified a need to strengthen the feeling of belonging. The recommendation is to intensify the library's presence on social media and offer literature less restricted to classics, encompassing the topic of diversity.
Polo shirt educational and cultural
The audience emphasized that the Joel Martins Library should promote knowledge about information sources, guidance on best practices in research and knowledge production, bibliographic research, reference preparation, citation, and the writing of papers, etc., through workshops and training, acting as an agency for the formation of new knowledge and the promotion of education. Additionally, the audience suggested that the Joel Martins Library act as an active cultural center, promoting reading clubs, debates, exhibitions, book exchange fairs, film screenings, and storytelling for children, accessible to the academic community and the general public. There was also a request for greater thematic diversity in the collections, encompassing indigenous history and ancestral African and Afro-Brazilian knowledge, with a focus on historical demystification.
Considerations
The information gathered can contribute to the library's strategic decisions, such as guiding future institutional action plans.
1 SWOT (Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses, Threats). FOFA in Portuguese (Forças, Oportunidades, Fraquezas, Ameaças). It consists of a tool to support the development of institutional strategic plans, focusing on the analysis of the internal and external environments.
2 Research method for evaluating attitudes, opinions, feelings, and perceptions.