School collections and knowledge production: sharing research and extension experiences at the Ferreira Viana State Technical School

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of research and outreach experiences linked to the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, focusing on the Memory Center of the Ferreira Viana State Technical School. This school, established in the late 19th century, boasts a vast documentary collection. The objective was to highlight the relevance of memory spaces in the production of knowledge for the training of undergraduate scholarship students in the Archival Science program, with regard to the theoretical-practical relationship, as well as the sharing of knowledge with high school students through workshops, providing an opportunity for them to engage with topics related to memory, heritage, and school archives. We adopted a qualitative approach, emphasizing participatory research as an opportunity for constructing shared knowledge. The results achieved through research and extension actions reveal the potential of school collections in training processes, highlighting the different uses of documents, indicating that beyond their evidentiary and historical value, there is another dimension, which is configured in their pedagogical character, which makes memory spaces fertile places for the production of knowledge, since documents constitute the existence of these spaces.