YY[you may not even know Rosaria Costa, but people who know or live with her don't forget so quickly. This is because Rosaria, in addition to being a person greatly admired by those she lives with, is a librarian from the small town of Venâncio Aires, in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, who puts her “hands on”.
Passionate about books, stories and reading, Rosaria maintains several projects and recently won an award at the federal level and made a point of applying all the money to the projects she works on. Get to know a little about its history and get inspired:
me without borders: How was your involvement with reading since you were little?
Rosaria Costa: I didn't have any children's books, they were few and far between.
and my family couldn't afford it. My father gave me a booklet from Recreio.
ESF: Where did the inspiration and passion for reading come from?
RC: My father, now 84 years old, only studied until he was 12 years old, when he learned the trade of a mechanic and went to work, he would come home after a day of hard work and take a red hardcover book to read. I saw that and thought it must be a really good thing for someone tired of work to do and I wanted that for myself. When I became literate, I gained the key that opened the magical world of reading and I never left it. But it was still difficult to get to books, my school didn't have a library (to this day it doesn't), the public library in my hometown wasn't accessible either (to this day it's not), I had a scholarship at a private school and there was a great library, but the classes had a day and time to go there, so I made friends with Brother who took care of the library, helped him and could take books whenever he wanted, but it wasn't just anyone I wanted, there was censorship, just the right ones for my age. All this made me study, be a librarian, work in the public library and bring books and reading to as many people as I could.
ESF: Was becoming a librarian also about your passion for books?
RC: Yes, because I wanted to help other people to read, to have access to books that I didn't have.
ESF: Could you tell me a little more about your reading projects?
RC: Since when I was studying librarianship at FURG, in Rio Grande-RS, I got involved with reading projects. Then I took several storytelling courses and I make the art of storytelling a way to make listeners fall in love with books. At the Caá Yari Public Library in Venâncio Aires, I perform Saraus, I tell stories in schools, book fair and since 2006 I develop the Reading Group at the Psychosocial Care Center -CAPS II, they are depressive patients and at risk of suicide indicated by the health team CAPS II mental health that makes up this group, where I read children's literature books and bring something related to history.
ESF: How did it feel to win an award at the federal level?
RC: It was wonderful, it's great to have recognized work, but the best thing was being able to create the new space for the group's meetings, the Espaço de Leitura Mar de Histórias. Which turned out beautiful and is being used by all CAPS patients and staff.
ESF: What do you believe is lacking in education for children to become more involved with reading?
RC: There is a lack of real libraries in schools with professional librarians working in them, teachers and reading parents are lacking.
ESF: Do parents need to participate in this process too?
RC: Certainly, I followed my father's example and this is what families lack, parents leave the reader's training to school, like many other things that fall within their competence in the education of their children, and when the school fails we don't have readers.
ESF: What are your plans for the future?
RC: Publish a children's book. To continue my work of training readers through Storytelling, Reading Groups at CAPS II and CAPS AD and Qualification of Caá Yari library services.
I have two dreams that I would like to fulfill in Venâncio Aires: to form a group of Storytellers and a Children's Library with space where we can tell stories all week.
ESF: What are your favorite books?
RC: “A Moreninha”, “Dom Casmurro” and “O Tempo e o Vento”, in addition to “The Lord of the Rings” in book (and films).
ESF: How is your daily routine? Could you tell me a little?
RC: Look, it would be a very long text, I'm alone to carry out all the technical, administrative and cultural part of the Caá Yari Library, which opens from seven thirty in the morning until six in the afternoon, I have a retired teacher, who works 8 hours a day and two interns who work 6 hours a day to help me. I am in the process of computerizing the loan in the Biblivre program, I wait until the end of the year to finish. But I always find time to do reading activities.
More about Rosaria:
Loves the sea, waterfall, heat, dragons. Likes to win books, fairies or amethyst stones, especially as a gift. Likes animated movies or magic. He likes coffee with quindim, like the author of his favorite poem Mario Quintana: “Those who are standing in my way. They will pass. And I… little bird”.
- Interview granted to Angélica Weise from the Eu Sem Fronteiras Team.
