Information Literacy and Social Protagonism: the role of public libraries in Belem, Para

Introduction: The Public Library has the mission and role of ensuring access to information for all people in need, providing a welcoming and comfortable environment for accessing knowledge, developing information literacy, and, through these initiatives and actions, fostering conditions for lifelong learning and improvement. Objective: To analyze the relationship between information literacy and the social protagonism of librarians in their role as agents of social transformation. Methodology: The research employs an exploratory and descriptive approach with a qualitative method, utilizing field research. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured interviews with librarians from two public libraries in the northern region of Brazil. Results: It identifies the presence of active, dynamic professionals who exhibit leadership and continually redefine their professional practices. Conclusion: Based on a critical analysis of the interviews in dialogue with scientific literature, the study considers the existence of professional protagonism among librarians in public libraries, astheyfeel increasingly prepared to meet the needs of users and consequently perform their activities with an awareness of their role in professional actions aimed at the development of individuals and communities. It concludes that only through the internalization and self-recognition as a social protagonist willthe professional be ableto initiatethe formative and dialogic process of developing information literacy.