ACERVO JOSÉ ALDEMIR DE OLIVEIRA NO MUSEU DA AMAZÔNIA

JOSÉ ALDEMIR DE OLIVEIRA’S ARCHIVE AT THE MUSEUM OF THE AMAZON

Abstract

Amazonian geographer and professor José Aldemir de Oliveira expressed a desire to open to the public the materials he collected throughout his life with the aim of transforming it into a library. The project to organize what came to be known as the “José Aldemir de Oliveira Library” stemmed from the idea of a personal and specialized archive, now housed at the Amazon Museum (MUSA), which also houses Professor Ennio Candotti's archive. This text discusses the José Aldemir de Oliveira archive in observance of the presentation at the II Symposium on Reading Practices. This goal was to inventory the professor’s collection, making it available to the public and revitalizing the library. This goal mobilized a team linked to the Center for Studies and Research of Cities in the Brazilian Amazon (NEPECAB), a research group founded and led by Oliveira, affiliated with the Federal University of Amazonas. Currently, the library, part of MUSA, offers opportunities to serve the community at large. Society is gradually beginning to benefit, as the technical and infrastructure challenges of maintaining the collection of a library of this size and characteristics are overcome, ensuring it has the vitality it deserves. Several challenges remain, including how to coexist in an increasingly digital culture.