BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA: A RELEVÂNCIA SOCIOCULTURAL DA BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA CÂMARA CASCUDO PARA A CIDADE DE NATAL/RN

The importance of Luis da Camara Cascudo is acknowledged for his contribution to several fields of knowledge. Many institutions pay tribute to him by incorporating his name, including the public library "Camara Cascudo", in Natal/RN, the largest public library in the state, which is currently closed to undergo major renovation, leaving the whole community unattended by its social integration and citizenship projects. The present review aims to demonstrate the library's sociocultural relevance to the whole city, identifying the problems emerging from its closure, since public libraries are the only institutions at the community able to grant free access to knowledge and aiming at bridging social inequalities through services matching local needs. Given this overview, the final goal is to emphasize that the "Plano Municipal do Livro, da Leitura, da Literatura e das Bibliotecas de Natal" (Municipal Plan for Books, Reading and Literature and for Libraries of Natal) needs to direct financial resources to its reopening, ensuring that Camara Cascudo Public Library regains its position as a reference in the state as a tool to spreading information and to changing Society