Women in the library: literary producers in brazilian university libraries

Abstract

This article examines the presence of Brazilian women fiction writers in university libraries across Brazil. Twenty-seven federal public university libraries were selected, one per state. The selection of authors was based on their inclusion in critical and commercial selections on Brazilian literature, as well as in publications that highlight women’s literary production. The study covers works from the 19th century to the present, analyzing a total of 57 writers. Catalog searches were conducted using the authors’ names in both direct and inverted order, applying an authorship filter. The data indicate that these writers remain underrepresented. Only two 19th-century authors were found, while most of the identified writers published in the second half of the 20th century. Many authors are represented by only a few titles, with some limited to a single book. Black women writers are even more marginalized, with lower representation and fewer available titles. There does not appear to be a direct correlation between region and representation, though local authors may receive greater recognition in their respective states’ libraries. The findings suggest that the exclusion of these authors reflects broader social patterns, underscoring the need for libraries to reconsider the diversity of their collections.