Researchers and fans of Brazilian chapbooks have another option to get information about this popular genre of Brazilian culture online. The US Library of Congress, through its office in Rio de Janeiro, has provided a digital collection on the subject – the Brazil Cordel Literature Web Archive. Visit the collection at www.loc.gov
There are more than 12,000 pieces, among them the famous Sol Biderman collection, and some chapbooks dating from the 1930s.To capture the work of the repentistas (improvisational singers), the Office has also acquired CDs and DVDs, as well as other chapbook titles. Some of them are already available on the Office website: www.loc.gov/acq/ovop/rio/rio-cordel.html.
The Office of the Library of Congress in Rio de Janeiro is one of six overseas offices administered by the Overseas Operations Division of the Library of Congress. Its collection includes publications and art-work from Brazil, Uruguay, Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana. The aim is to enrich the research collections of the Library of Congress with the very best bibliographic production from those countries.