The mediation of information in the rescue of visibility and dignity of vulnerable: the case of homeless people

Abstract

The mediation of information is debated under the social vulnerability perspective, considering as information citizen the homeless people. The question is if this population, besides not having the basic needs guaranteed by the government, will have their necessities provided by the information professionals. Therefore, the objective is to reflect about the mediation of information as promoter in the rescue of citizenship and dignity for vulnerable people, in the public library spaces. It's a qualitative study, from literature review of catalogues from public universities and CAPES journal involving topics like: mediation of information, social vulnerability, homeless people, information literacy and public library. Perceived as a process that, with the information literacy, has the change potential to give the people the information empowerment, that can minimize the poverty condition, and mainly the multiples vulnerabilities that they are exposed to. It is understood that the information professionals from public libraries are mediators able to contribute to the vulnerable people to attend to these places, giving them the right to access information, making it possible, even for a short period, and for many reasons, to live the sedentarism that they can not have. In places like a public library, the presence of mediation of information contributes for the society development with information skills, forming this way more critical citizens with self-conscious about its importance in the world.