Guia Cultural da Costa Verde

Paraty • Paraty

BIBLIOTECA COMUNITÁRIA CORA CORALINA

A bridge between knowledge and the community

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Everything started when educator Claudia Bianconi and her husband Nicanor Alavedra provided a space in their home to accommodate a teacher who had asked for “a corner” in order to give reading and writing lessons to grown-ups. The teacher then had to leave town and there were seven students left who wished to continue studying. Claudia took on the commitment, and the need for reading gave rise to the idea of a library. Resources were scarce but creativity was plentiful: a bedstead was converted into a shelf and umbrella fabric was used to cover the pouffes used as seats. Book donations began to arrive and in 2012, Biblioteca Comunitária Cora Coralina was opened to the public. In addition to close to one thousand books used for references and loans, there are reading circles and recreational activities with children and young people. There is also a computer with Internet that is available free of charge for twenty minutes. Every other Friday there are two sessions of “cinema on TV”, showing DVDs. This facility is part of Rede Comunitária de Bibliotecas de Paraty – a library service, and is open three times per week from 2 pm to 6 pm. An open-air outing takes place once per week to show to the young people how much nature needs to be preserved. During the week there will be 15 to 20 children who use the library, with 30 to 45 on weekends. Claudia has been trying to be registered as a Ponto de Leitura – an official reading facility – to obtain sponsorships. In order to hold the year-end party, a bingo and rummage sale were organized in order to provide snacks for the young ones. A group effort by sympathizers prepared the June festivities. Children’s Day was supported by friends who collected and donated toys. And so with the help of numerous contributors, everything is becoming possible. “”Blessed are those who transfer what they know and learn what they teach.” This sentence by writer Cora Coralina conveys well the spirit that drives the work performed in the library that bears her name.

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