CRITICAL COMPETENCE AND THE MEDIATION OF INFORMATION AND CULTURE AS PRAXIS

AN ANALYSIS DRAWING ON THE IDEAS OF PAULO FREIRE

Abstract

This study discusses the social and political dimensions of library praxis—an analytical perspective rooted in the theories of the Chicago School, which, through critiques of the traditional model, expanded the understanding of the library as a space for promoting access to information and cultural assets. Drawing on Freirean epistemology, the study examines the concepts of mediation and critical information literacy, demonstrating their fundamental role in the praxis of school librarians—a practice committed to transforming the reality of students. It employs qualitative research with a descriptive-interpretative approach, grounded in the Freirean perspective of problem-posing and liberating education. Data collection was conducted within the municipal school system of Niterói. Seven management plans from the sixteen schools under study were analyzed to understand how the concepts of information and cultural mediation, as well as critical information literacy, are incorporated into these documents. The results reveal that the schools demonstrate—through these plans—an interest in critical education based on the Freirean principles guiding this research, particularly those grounding their educational aspirations in the pursuit of a new, more just, and egalitarian society. However, the research concludes that the understanding of the librarian's importance—as an agent of education and a mediator of information and culture—remains quite limited within the context of the schools investigated.