Brazil lost 764 public libraries between 2015 and 2020, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism’s Special Secretariat for Culture. In 2015, the country had 6,057 public libraries.
According to the most recent figures from the federal government, for 2020, the number has dropped to 5,293, among municipal, district, state and federal, in the 26 states and the Federal District.
The biggest drop occurred in São Paulo and Minas Gerais. Of the 764 closures, 698 took place in these states. Index that represents 91% of the total.
São Paulo leads the closings. The number went from 842 in 2015 to 304 in 2020. A loss of 538 units. This represents 70% of all closed libraries in Brazil in five years.
In Minas Gerais, the number increased from 888 in 2015 to 728 in 2020. A loss of 160 libraries in five years.
To make the comparison, data for 2015 were retrieved from the former website of the National Public Library System (SNBP), through the Internet Archive project.
Scope
Public libraries are created and maintained by municipalities, states, the Federal District or the federal government, and serve all audiences free of charge. They are considered cultural facilities and, therefore, are part of the public policies of the federal government.
Before, they were under the scope of the Ministry of Culture. With the extinction of the portfolio, on the first day of the government of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), they were transferred to the Special Secretariat for Culture.
THE CNN questioned the Special Secretariat for Culture about possible updated data on the subject and awaits a position.
Source: CNN Brasil
