FACILITY

In 2025, the Popular Library Writer Lima Barreto completed 20 years of continuous activity in Maré. The facility, created to meet the demand of young people and adults of the territory for a space where they could read and study, had its structure renovated, also expanding its actions, reach, and activities.

Currently, the Library occupies a four-story building in the Nova Holanda favela, with two reading rooms and children’s and adult collections; one floor dedicated to meetings, with tables, sofas and computers, individual study stalls and an accessibility booth; in addition to a large and covered rooftop for presentations, meetings and activities. An important achievement for the community was the installation of an elevator and an adapted bathroom.

The space seeks to raise awareness among children and their families about the importance of books; contributes to the formation of new readers, developing the taste for reading and the exchange of knowledge; provides experiences of creation and expression through reading and writing; creates spaces of dialogue with the entire territory, with active actions together with municipal schools and daycare centers and cultural facility, strengthening the development networks of education in Maré.

Some numbers prove that the Popular Library Writer Lima Barreto is a reference for the residents of the Maré favelas:

The Library Has An Annual Average Of12 milServices To Children And Adults, Between Loans And Consultations Of A Collection Of 14 mil livrosBooks And Participation In Activities.

Data From 2024:

5.845 books donated to libraries and reading spaces in Maré
2.171 loans
676 storytelling workshops
20 book creation workshops
41 book creation workshops

Books for all

The Library promotes inclusion and accessibility, offering the community books adapted for people with low vision or blindness and audiobooks for loan. Among the available resources are elevator, access ramps, self-regulation booth for individualized teaching, and adapted bathrooms.

Donations

The collection of the Popular Library Writer Lima Barreto is formed from donations from individuals and companies. Fiction books in prose and poetry for all ages, new or in good condition, are accepted (with the exception of textbooks). For information on how to donate, contact by email biblioteca@redesdamare.org.br.

THE LIBRARY IS A PLACE OF MEETING, OF KNOWLEDGE AND, ABOVE ALL, OF WELCOMING.

The Lima Barreto Library turns 20 years. Watch the video with the history of the library.

GET TO KNOW OUR SPACES

MARIA CLARA MACHADO READING ROOM - Opened in 2011, it was created specially to serve the children’s audience. In a large space, on the first floor, furnished with shelves, tables and rugs, it hosts activities every day, such as storytelling, workshops, drawing and painting, games and play, mediated by a facilitator.

ADULT COLLECTION - On the second floor of the library, the adult collection room has about 12,000 titles, covering various genres, such as fiction, poetry, theater, non-fiction, children’s and youth literature, arts and publications about the Complex of 15 favelas of Maré. Throughout the year, more than 14,000 services are carried out, between access to the collection and activities.

COMMUNAL SPACE - On the third floor of the building, inaugurated in 2024, is the communal space, a meeting point for the young and adult public, which aims to promote a quiet and well- equipped place for studies, exchange of ideas and connections. There are tables, chairs, sofas, shelves, individual stalls, and an individual study booth. It also offers actions with multiple languages, such as extracurricular activities, games, reading and writing workshops, and other forms of cultural expression.

READING SPACE - The library has individual booths for reading, providing an environment with privacy and silence for those who need to concentrate and keep focus on studies.

LAJE DO LIMA - It is a large rooftop, a space that celebrates culture in the favela, where activities related to the book and reading are held, such as literary picnics, conversation circles, theater performances, poetry slams and meetings with writers. It is the fun of children and young people who can live new artistic expressions, using theater, storytelling and the body as means of transport to the universe of literature. The activities are designed to reach a broad audience, especially teenagers and young people from 12 to 29 years old living in Maré and their guardians.

THE LITTLE READING CLUB

The Little Reading Club, one of the main activities of the library, gathers, weekly, children from 8 to 14 years old in the Maria Clara Machado Reading Room to read and listen to stories, exchange ideas and expand their worldview. More than a reading moment, it is a space for conversation and reflection, where each book opens doors to new ways of thinking and dreaming.

In addition to sharing the reading of a book, the Little Club promotes debates that connect the themes of the works to the daily lives of the children. Each participant takes home the book read. In this way, they create their own library and strengthen the habit of reading from an early age.

Writers of the Future

The encouragement of reading and writing, a hallmark of the Little Reading Club, gave rise to an unprecedented initiative: since 2023, 10 children’s books have been published, created collectively by the classes, in which the children themselves are authors and protagonists of their stories, portraying their yearnings, desires, and the joy of living in Maré. The positive impact of these publications guaranteed the continuity and importance of the project, which continues to produce new books.

READING CLUBS IN ACTIVITY

• READING CLUBS IN ACTIVITY – Aimed at the adult public, the Lima Barreto Reading Club takes place weekly in a virtual format, offering activities that develop reading, writing, and speaking skills. Open to the general public, it is especially valuable for the students of Redes da Maré’s Pre-College Course. Thus, in addition to strengthening preparation for the exam, the club offers the possibility to take the book home to compose their own library, increasingly encouraging the habit of reading.

• Book Club | Adolescents and Youth – The Book Club proposes to adolescents and youth the experience of reading in its various narrative forms, creating interest and bringing participants closer to literature and literary language.

Shared reading happens in a circle format, mediated by a facilitator, followed by debates and exchanges of ideas. The repertoire is chosen in an oriented way, together with the adolescents, stimulating interest, reflection, and the pleasure of reading.

• Maria Clara Machado Reading Club – In addition to promoting access to reading, a human and social right, and offering moments of enchantment, fun, and imagination, the Little Reading Club contributes to the formation of critical thinking, the appreciation of identity, and the development of citizenship, either through literary enjoyment or acquired knowledge.

• Livro Labirinto (Labyrinth Book)– Partner project of the Lima Barreto Reading Club since 2017, through Revista Caju, curated by journalist Daniela Name. It operates in three main areas: acquisition of books from the Lima Barreto (adult) and Maria Clara Machado (children) Reading Clubs; curation and production of lectures reinforcing the Literature program of the Redes da Maré’s Pre- College Course, with meetings focused on books selected in the UERJ entrance exam; and building the collection for the Lima Barreto Popular Writer Library and other libraries in Maré, acquiring missing and strategic titles for the literary formation of the residents. The project also promotes access to the city’s cultural agenda with visits to the theater, dramatized readings, and meetings with writers.

TESTIMONIAL

" When I used to come here, still small, I was very shy and did not get involved with the other children. Now I talk a lot. The library is very important to me. Now I am also a writer! My friends did not believe I was a writer. One day, I took my book to school, and they were very happy and started coming here too. Here it is possible to study. And the most important thing is that I made many friendships.”

Lara Lúcia da Silva Siqueira, 12 years old

ACHIEVEMENTS

• In 2025, Rio de Janeiro was declared World Book Capital, the first Portuguese-speaking city to receive this title by UNESCO. The Laje do Lima project is part of the official City Hall programming for this event.

• The Maré de Ler 2024 Project, through the ISS Law, enabled the Popular Library Writer Lima Barreto to carry out another year of actions and activities of training, creation, and cultural dissemination for the Maré favela community.

• We offer activities to students of public schools and Early Childhood Education Spaces (EDIs), adults and elderly residents of surrounding communities, attracting 3,000 people to the space.

• Launch of books authored by the children of the Popular Library Writer Lima Barreto and the Areninha Cultural Herbert Vianna at the 40th Book Biennial, at the Paixão de Ler Stand, of the Municipal Secretary of Culture; and at Popular Library Writer Lima Barreto building. On this day, the children’s family members were present. See the photos of the book launch on May 18, 2023 here.

• Presence of Library visitors at the opening of the 5th edition of LER – The Reader Festival, at the event “A conversation with Malala”, on May 22, 2024.

• Through the partnership with the Livro Labirinto project, with the support of AFBNDES and Editora Rocco, copies of the book The Handmaid’s Tale were distributed to all students of the Maré Pre- College Course.

• In October 2024, Redes da Maré launched, with the support of Fundação Porticus, the Participatory Plan for Early Childhood of Maré. The process of drafting the document counted on the active participation of the children who attend the library.

• Redes da Maré, in partnership with publisher Caixote, produced the book I Should Be at School, based on listening to the narratives of 250 children from Maré about the impact of police violence on their lives and their perspectives on changes and improvements for the neighborhood. Rádio Novello made an episode about the book. Listen here.

SEE OTHER ACTIONS CARRIED OUT BY THE LIMA BARRETO POPULAR LIBRARY IN RECENT YEARS.

Meeting with the Author - Writers visit the library to meet readers, talk about the craft of writing, share details of creating and producing a book, and inspire participants to explore new ways of relating to literature.

The Angolan writer Ondjaki and the Portuguese illustrator Antônio Gonçalves presented their book at the Lima Barreto Library.

• Cultural Outings - Reading the World - To expand the artistic and cultural repertoire of participants, the Library promotes activities and visits to cultural spaces inside and outside Maré. These experiences allow participants to experience new forms of art, expand their worldview, and connect reading with the cultural diversity around them.

• Campaigns to Encourage Reading in the Territory – In 2024, four reading promotion campaigns took place in different parts of the territory: in partnership with the Health Axis, at CIEP Gustavo Capanema; in the month of Children’s Day, for EDI Cleia Santos de Oliveira and the Nova Holanda nursery; and at Jorge Amado Municipal Library, at Areninha Cultural Herbert Vianna.

MEDIA

Report by O Globo newspaper, published in September 2024, accompanied a conversation circle at the library with the participation of children living in Maré, who debated and expressed, through drawings, their views, concerns, dreams, and perceptions about the territory where they live. By listening to the children, the article reinforced the importance of hearing them when creating public policies focused on protection, education, and social development that impact their lives today and in the future. See the article here.

HOW DID WE FACE THE PANDEMIC?

The Little Reading Club was born in 2020, during the social isolation imposed by the pandemic, when the library space was closed to the public. With the collaboration of partners, we created strategies to maintain the bond with our readers and distributed books and drawing materials among the children, from house to house.

TEAM

Educational Coordination: Claudia Ferreira de Moura
Project Coordination: Luciene de Andrade
Reading Mediators: Daiane Santos Barboza, Fernanda Oliveira Ribeiro de Medeiros, Lorena Gomes De Souza, Maria Izabel de Melo Almeida, Matheus Siqueira Euzebio, Shirlane Aline Lorindo da Costa, Sandra Santos
Reading Mediators: Fernanda de Medeiros e Matheus Siqueira
Financial Manager: Sandra Ciqueira

SUPPORTING PARTNERS

Secretaria Municipal de Cultura do Rio de Janeiro - Prefeitura RJ

ADDRESS

Rua Sargento Silva Nunes, 1014 – Nova Holanda
Phone number: (21) 3105-8421

OPENING HOURS

OPENING HOURS: 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Maria Clara Machado Room: 14:00h / 20:00h.

For book donations, contact the team via emailbiblioteca@redesdamare.org.br.

LIBRARY CONTACT

Email: biblioteca@redesdamare.org.br | eixoarteecultura@redesdamare.org.br

Phone: (21) 3105-8421

WhatsApp Redes da Maré: (21) 99924-6462

HIGHLIGHTS

2024

Renovation of the Library, which expanded the building by two more floors, bringing more comfort for readers, new and accessible furniture, ramps, elevator, and more space for books and events. Three new environments were built: the reading space, the social space, and Laje do Lima, reaffirming the library as a place for meetings, learning, culture, and study.

2023

Implementation of REDELÊ, aimed at integrating and strengthening the network of libraries located in the Maré territory; encouraging access to books and reading; offering professional training meetings and knowledge exchanges, in addition to taking Maré children to visit cultural facilities outside the territory, such as the Planetarium, Madureira Park, and the Museum of Art of Rio (MAR), expanding their socio-cultural repertoire and ensuring access to the city. Watch here

a video about REDELÊ.

2021

The project Maré de Ler was once again renewed through the ISS Law. We also carried out the project Da Maré eu Leio o Mundo, in partnership with UNESCO-Criança Esperança. Through the project Era Uma Vez, three more books were produced, written and illustrated by the children of the Popular Library Writer Lima Barreto and Jorge Amado Library.

2020

New edition of the Maré de Ler project, through the Municipal Law for Cultural Incentive (ISS Law). Partnership with the Era Uma Vez project enabled the publication of three books written by the children. Due to the pandemic, the campaign “Maré says NO to coronavirus” was carried out. The Reading Club for adults and the Little Reading Club for children were created and implemented virtually.

2019

Approval of the Maré de Ler project for another year of activities, through the Municipal Law for Cultural Incentive (ISS Law), encompassing various workshops, games, reading circles, training meetings, guided visits to art exhibitions; field classes in partnership with the project Maré a Céu Aberto and Azulejaria, an action that celebrated the memories and historical knowledge of Maré, with the participation of children from Nova Holanda and Parque União.

2018

First edition of the Maré de Ler project through the Municipal Law for Cultural Incentive (ISS), for conducting reading workshops with children and training the library staff. The partnership with the Livro Labirinto project held literary meetings with Brazilian and international teachers and writers, such as the Angolan Ondjaki and Portuguese illustrator Antonio Gonçalves.

2017

Year of the beginning of the Livro Labirinto Project, partnership of Redes da Maré with Revista Caju, coordinated by journalist Daniela Name, divided into two work fronts: a series of classes/ debates/ lectures with writers, literary critics, and essayists, which discussed major literary titles with about 240 students of the Redes Pre- College Course; and a campaign for curating and donating new books to the library collection.

2016

Implementation of the projects “Maré de Histórias Brincantes”, winner of the Municipal Secretary of Culture grant; Homage to the 400th anniversary of the death of Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes, with support from Instituto Cervantes; “Ninho de Livro”, by the production company Satrapia in partnership with Natura; and the action “Toda vovó é cheia de memórias!”, with long-time female residents of Maré, within the project “As Griots da Maré.”

2015

Implementation of the project Meeting with the Author, which received Brazilian and foreign authors, such as Pedro Gabriel (Eu me chamo Antônio); cartoonist António Jorge Gonçalves (Barriga de baleia), Dutch author Janny Vander Molen (O mundo de Anne Frank, research on the bestseller The Diary of Anne Frank), and the young indigenous of the Huni Kuin tribe Uma Isi Kayawa (Livro da Cura), among others.

2014

Implementation of Maré de Leituras, a reading and language promotion project aiming at the literacy of children and youth from Maré. Read more here about the project, which had as a partner the German organization IRESO.

2013

Implementation of the project For the Pleasure of Reading, National Library Award for community libraries: supporting storytelling and meeting with authors.

2011

Implementation of works to expand the library and inauguration of the Maria Clara Machado Room, which counted on the cooperation of several partners, such as Petrobras Children Program in Maré, Rotary Club of Rio de Janeiro, Geraldo Jordão Pereira Family, Saraiva Bookstore, Municipal and State Secretaries of Culture of Rio de Janeiro, Canal Futura, Petrobras, Debora Bloch, Hélio Aleixo da Silva, among others.