FANDOM IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES: MAPPING OF INITIATIVES AND THEIR APPLICABILITY

ABSTRACT

The fandom consists of individuals who appreciate a cultural object, constituting the so-called fan community. Within these communities they create and share products inspired by the original cultural content called the canon. On the other hand, we have the public library which has among its guidelines the promotion of skills such as reading, creativity and contact with various artistic expressions. However, these institutions suffer from the abandonment of the community, the neglect and the ignorance of their functions by the public power. Thus, fandom is seen as a means by which public libraries can regain their relevance and better fulfill their role by serving their community with activities that arouse multiple interests. The article aims to conceptualize the activities of fans, mapping similar initiatives that were successful in these institutions, as well as discuss the possibilities of application in the Brazilian reality by listing which benefits the development of such activities would bring to the community. The methodological path was descriptive and exploratory, because the academic production that relates the fandom with the public libraries is relatively scarce in the country, in this sense, were consulted websites of librarian associations, journals with the theme, blogs about fans, fandom and reading. Supported by the “living library” and “biblioremix” concepts, the fan community presents itself as a means to put a new perspective on the library into practice. Because they are individuals engaged in different artistic activities, fans have the potential to mobilize interest groups around the public library.

KEYWORDS:
Public libraries; Fandom; Librarians; Living Library