Why ‘Mala do Livro’ is revolutionising reading and building communities in Brasília
Project: developing the ‘Mala do Livro’ reading programme
The Purpose
To increase literacy rates and encourage greater reading habits among Brasília’s citizens.
The Challenge
Since 1990, the Mala do Livro, or Book Bag project, has provided micro-libraries in neighbourhoods across Brasília’s Federal Districts. After 30 years of successful work to increase cultural access for citizens, the City has invested in further expanding the project.
Initially the brainchild of two librarians, Mala do Livro found support through the Secretariat of Culture and Creative Economy, in partnership with the Brasília National Library. It offers hyper-localised access to books across the city and encourages reading, especially in low-income households in areas with reduced cultural provision. The aim is to create a more informed population.
Mala do Livro is also being used as a starting point for a wider programme, including reading groups, meetings with authors, handicraft, storytelling and theatre workshops.
The Solution
Each micro-library contains around 150 books, with topics ranging from Brazilian and foreign literature to children’s books and comics, DIY and reference books. Selections are tailored to the interests of the neighbourhood. Books can be borrowed for a week and renewed when needed. In total, there are around 45,000 books in circulation, each in the care of a community agent who will often develop complementary activities such as storytelling.
The libraries are embedded in a wide range of public and private settings including institutional libraries, hospitals, Olympic centres, prisons and subway stations. Some are based in people’s homes, and Brasília National Library (BNB) has a Mala do Livro outpost on its ground floor.
The Impact
There are 193 micro-libraries, with 107 in residential settings and 86 in public and private institutions. They serve around 18,000 people each year and have served around 100,000 readers over the lifetime of the project. Each receives an average of 45 visits per year.
The programme received a new investment of R$1.2 million for expansion in 2021-22. Part of this funding also supported a programme of training for 500 community agents, whether private individuals or attached to institutions, so that the programme consistently offers high-quality services. Mala do Livro is also being used as a starting point for a wider programme, including reading groups, meetings with authors, handicraft, storytelling and theatre workshops.
The Book Bag project acts as a gateway not just to books and literacy, but to widening social and cultural opportunities in every neighbourhood of Brasília.
Source: World Cities Culture Report 2022
Images Courtesy @ Getty/Canva
