Resumo:
This dissertation aims at studying and assessing the contribution of the university library in the learning and student formation processes. It is analyzed, through a case study, the UNIFEI library to identify its performance in the knowledge construction of the undergraduate students in Production Engineering. The establishment of a novel paradigm to university libraries, named "user learning centred paradigm", is proposed. Such paradigm, based on construction cognitive theories, takes into consideration not only the aspects embraced by user centred paradigms, but also the method by which the users construct their knowledge. The role of learning and research as knowledge construction processes as well as the role of the library as learning space are emphasized. Knowing the learning process, the librarians may understand better their mediation task, and thus, contribute to the knowledge construction of users. It is analysed the contribution of the library to the course of Production Engineering, and its possibilities to contribute to engineering curricula. Students from the first and fifth years relating to 2003 are compared in order to verify whether there was improvement on the quantity and quality of library usage along the academic life. The students are submitted to a questionnaire. The results obtained indicate that there was not a significant modification on the performance of the students during academic life, for the answers were similar. Few students declare that they use the library to update their knowledge in spite of acknowledging its importance to carry out research. They pay few visits to the library. It is necessary that the lecturers encourage the students to make use of it. The students indicate the insufficient and outdated library collection as the main reason for not using the information sources. Finally, it is necessary that the library check its training offered to the new students at the beginning of the year, for such training does not fulfil their expectations in respect of the library usage.
