Porto Alegre opens children's library and book bank to expand literacy access

The Câmara Rio-Grandense do Livro opened a children's and youth library during the 72nd Feira do Livro in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Located on the third floor of the Clube do Comércio, the space houses approximately 8,500 books. The organization designed the library to remain open year-round to serve children, teenagers, families, and teachers as a resource for reading mediation.

Sônia Zanchetta, the coordinator for the children's and youth area, stated that the collection is the result of 29 years of work. The library includes diverse literature, such as indigenous and Afro-descendant works, and aims to create welcoming memories for young readers. Andréia Bittencourt, the library coordinator, reported that the staff serves an average of 200 people daily. The organization also manages several literacy projects for marginalized groups.

The "A Feira Vem à Fase" project connects adolescents in socio-educational institutions with authors, while the "Diálogos pela Liberdade" project offers online meetings with writers for incarcerated people. Furthermore, the Banco de Livros collects and distributes donated books to community libraries and social institutions, including those affected by recent floods in the Vale do Taquari region.