As transformações de uma livraria para os bacharéis: a Biblioteca do IOAB (1895–1930)

Abstract

The object of study in this research is the library of the Brazilian Lawyers Institute – BLI, located in Rio de Janeiro. The time frame covers the period from 1895 to 1930. The first date corresponds to the year in which the Institute Library was inaugurated; the second marks the creation of the Brazilian Bar Association (BBA), a sister organization of the Institute. The objective is to characterize this Library, in order to demonstrate how the association thought about it within the proposed period. The choice of object is justified because it is one of the oldest institutional legal libraries in Brazil, having completed 128 years in 2023. It was observed, from bibliographical research, that the theme of the history of legal libraries is still a field to be explored, especially when it comes to private institutional legal libraries. For this research, several documentary sources from the institution itself were used, as well as some national periodicals that recorded its activity over the years. Through these sources, it was possible to analyze the trajectory of the supporting entity, as well as the development of its library between the years 1895 and 1930 (both in terms of the collection and its organization, and in relation to its managers and users). It was also possible to reflect on what the relationship between the Institute and its members was like with the Library. Throughout this work, it was possible to realize that it was born as a proto-library, an embryonic collection, but that it was developed over the years through donations, exchanges and purchases. Opened on the 52nd anniversary of the association, this library was the result of institutional desire to use the library to support its core activities. By establishing its library, the House of Montezuma recognized the value of legal information in the development of its activities.