Founded in 1974, the Professor Arlindo Corrêa da Silva Library is one of the historical pillars of the Ramacrisna Institute in promoting reading, knowledge, and imagination. Created in honor of the Institute’s founder, the library has been operating and evolving continuously for five decades.
With 194 m² and a collection of more than 9,000 children’s, youth, and adult books, the space serves Institute students, employees, community residents, and young people from the Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Region.
Recognized as a benchmark in innovative actions to encourage reading and inclusion, since 2010 the library has been part of local and national networks such as the Betim Public and Community Library Network, the Sou de Minas Uai State Network, and the National Community Library Network.
Initiatives such as the Braille and audiobook collection (with support from the Dorina Nowill Foundation), the “Leia para uma criança” program kits (in partnership with Itaú Social), and the Toy Library with modern games reinforce the library’s commitment to diversity, accessibility, and the pleasure of reading.
In addition, the Ramacrisna Library goes beyond its walls. With outdoor activities, traveling projects, and actions in schools and partner institutions, it takes reading wherever possible. Whether in gardens, corridors, or under trees, reading is present in a light, playful, and transformative way.
Created to expand the reach of reading, the “Reading Suitcase” project is one of the Library’s main initiatives. The proposal is simple and powerful: distribute book collections in suitcases that, when opened, transform into mobile fabric bookshelves with transparent pockets that display the covers and spark children’s interest. Portable and adaptable, the suitcase allows reading to take place in different spaces—inside or outside the classroom.
The project has expanded over the years, with different editions:
Rota do Saber (2018): with support from FCA and in partnership with the Betim City Hall, 71 reading suitcases were delivered to municipal schools and institutions in Betim, with more than 2,800 books donated, benefiting approximately 41,000 students.
Alegria de Ler (Joy of Reading) (2019): with support from Criança Esperança, 16 bags were distributed to 5 daycare centers and 11 schools in Betim, Juatuba, Mateus Leme, and Esmeraldas, reaching 5,627 children.
Isso é Coisa de Criança (2024–2025): the current edition brings children’s literature to 75 public and affiliated daycare centers in Betim, sponsored by WEG, Machado Meyer Advogados, and Instituto Machado Meyer through the Federal Culture Incentive Law.
With this, the Reading Suitcase transforms the act of reading into a moment of affection, discovery, and autonomy, contributing to the formation of new readers from early childhood.
The work developed by the Professor Arlindo Corrêa da Silva Library and its reading projects has already received several national awards:
2013: Award for Best Reading Incentive Project in Brazil, granted by the National Foundation for Children’s and Youth Books.
2018: Winner of the Leitura do Bem contest (TV Alterosa and Jornal Estado de Minas), by popular vote.
2023: Awarded in the Pontos de Leitura contest by the Ministry of Culture, for its work in cultural diversity and social impact.
2025: 7th place in the Raízes de Minas (Secult-MG, PNAB) public notice, for impacting more than 50,000 people and donating 4,510 books with the Mala de Leitura project.
These achievements prove Ramacrisna’s seriousness, creativity, and commitment to the development of a reading society.
