Trilha de aprendizagem dos bibliotecários de Ciências da Saúde à luz da aprendizagem situada

Abstract

The research discusses how learning processes influence the development of informational practices of Health Sciences librarians in the Brazilian context. It investigates the learning pathways of health librarians to understand how these pathways influence the informational practices of these professionals. The theoretical foundations were built through a quasi-systematic review involving five major themes: situated learning and communities of practice; theory of practice; informational practice; professional practice with information; and evidence-based information and library practice. These themes were examined in the light of national and international literature, in addition to the analysis of professionals' learning paths, trails to identify good practices that could contribute to the development of evidence-based information and library practices. The information practices developed in the health field, the perception of belonging to this field, the tacit knowledge accumulated by the professionals, the work experiences, and the influence that the learning processes develop on the production of knowledge, competence and work practices were also evaluated in the research. This is a bibliographic and field research with regard to the means of investigation, exploratory-descriptive studt as to its ultimate objective, and, from the point of view of data analysis and demonstration of results, it consists of a qualitative approach. At first, simple and participant observation was carried out withi in health libraries. Then, a questionnaire with closed questions was applied to a sample of librarians working in the field. The research concludes that there is a relationship between learning, work context, information practices, and knowledge production that librarians develop in the health field. We also conclude that these professionals' learning paths are trails influenced by existing information flows, discursive negotiation and field action skills, learning motivation, community recognition, and the knowledge generated in these conversions. Another finding of the research was to verify that there are varied informational practices and, equally, varied professional identities. It was also observed that there is professional learning and production of situated knowledge, applied and produced in practices, whose knowledge and skills acquisition and assimilation are revealed in the context of action. We point out for the need of greater production and socialization of the developed practices and lived experiences, thus aiming to reveal scientific evidence on the performance and contribution of librarians in the health field. Results indicate the practice of research as a teaching resource, promoter of learning content production, and as a fundamental framework capable of mediating theory and practice. Research practice proves to be a useful educational approach for developing a conceptual and scientific basis aimed to the development of evidence-based information and library practices in Brazil.