National Library of Catalonia
Encyclopedia
The National Library of Catalonia is a Spanish National Library
located in Barcelona
. The mission of the Library of Catalonia is to collect, preserve, and spread Catalonian bibliographic production and that related to the Catalonian linguistic
area, to look after its conservation, and to spread its bibliographic heritage while maintaining the status of a universal center for research and consultation.
It currently occupies 8,820 m² and has about three million items.
. It was opened to the public in 1914, in the time of the Commonwealth of Catalonia, and was housed in the Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya
.
In 1914 the Commonwealth of Catalonia converted the library of the IEC into a public cultural service. In its early days, the library was situated in an area of the Palau de la Generalitat in Barcelona. In 1929, the Library was acquired by the city government of Barcelona. In 1931, the 15th century buildings formerly occupied by the Hospital de Santa Creu were declared a part of Spain's historical patrimony; and the municipality of Barcelona approved the cession of large portion of the site to the Biblioteca de Catalunya.
In 1936 the first reading room, the Sala Cervantina was opened, but the project was halted because of the Civil War and not all of the necessary adaptations were completed. After the fall of Barcelona in early 1939, the library was closed until 1940. After the Spanish Civil War
, in 1940, the library was renamed the Central Library by the Franco regime and moved to its new site, where it remains to this day. During the rule of Franco, the institution was turned into a general use library, which was intended to supplement the deficiencies of the public and university libraries.
In 1981 it was made the national library of Catalonia by the Llei de biblioteques ('Libraries law') of 1981, approved by the Parliament of Catalonia
, conferring upon it the duties of the reception, conservation, and distribution of the Catalan legal deposit
. In 1993, the Law of the Library System of Catalonia extended the institution's depository functions and helped in its modernization, which included the remodelling of the building, its own functional reorganization and the digitization of its procedures.
During the 1990s, a major renovation project further transformed the library, including the construction of four underground levels of storage (creating more than 40 kilometres of shelf-space) and the annex building. In 1998, the Library renovated the Gothic elements of its buildings and extended its space, thanks to the construction of a new services building.
. The digitization partnership project is intended to make these books available on the Internet. The Biblioteca de Catalunya acts as coordinator and intermediary on behalf of the other four Catalan libraries participating in the project:
The Catalan libraries group became the second non-Anglo-Saxon collaborator to join the Google Books Library Project
, within the Google Book Search
program. In 1977, the National Library of Catalonia joined another Spanish participant in the project, the Complutense University of Madrid
.
National library
A national library is a library specifically established by the government of a country to serve as the preeminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books...
located in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. The mission of the Library of Catalonia is to collect, preserve, and spread Catalonian bibliographic production and that related to the Catalonian linguistic
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
area, to look after its conservation, and to spread its bibliographic heritage while maintaining the status of a universal center for research and consultation.
It currently occupies 8,820 m² and has about three million items.
History
The Library was founded in 1907 as the library of the Institut d'Estudis CatalansInstitut d'Estudis Catalans
The Institut d'Estudis Catalans , also known by the acronym IEC, is an academic institution which seeks to undertake research and study into "all elements of Catalan culture"....
. It was opened to the public in 1914, in the time of the Commonwealth of Catalonia, and was housed in the Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya
Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya
The Palau de la Generalitat is a historic palace in Barcelona, Catalonia, northern Spain. It houses the offices of the Presidency of the Generalitat de Catalunya. It is one of the few buildings of medieval origin in Europe that still functions as a seat of government and houses the institution that...
.
In 1914 the Commonwealth of Catalonia converted the library of the IEC into a public cultural service. In its early days, the library was situated in an area of the Palau de la Generalitat in Barcelona. In 1929, the Library was acquired by the city government of Barcelona. In 1931, the 15th century buildings formerly occupied by the Hospital de Santa Creu were declared a part of Spain's historical patrimony; and the municipality of Barcelona approved the cession of large portion of the site to the Biblioteca de Catalunya.
In 1936 the first reading room, the Sala Cervantina was opened, but the project was halted because of the Civil War and not all of the necessary adaptations were completed. After the fall of Barcelona in early 1939, the library was closed until 1940. After the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, in 1940, the library was renamed the Central Library by the Franco regime and moved to its new site, where it remains to this day. During the rule of Franco, the institution was turned into a general use library, which was intended to supplement the deficiencies of the public and university libraries.
In 1981 it was made the national library of Catalonia by the Llei de biblioteques ('Libraries law') of 1981, approved by the Parliament of Catalonia
Parliament of Catalonia
The Parliament of Catalonia is the unicameral legislature of Catalonia. It is formed by 135 members , who are elected every four years in ordinary period, or extraordinarily upon dissolution and call of elections by the President of Catalonia, by universal suffrage in proportional lists with four...
, conferring upon it the duties of the reception, conservation, and distribution of the Catalan legal deposit
Legal deposit
Legal deposit is a legal requirement that a person or group submit copies of their publications to a repository, usually a library. The requirement is mostly limited to books and periodicals. The number of copies varies and can range from one to 19 . Typically, the national library is one of the...
. In 1993, the Law of the Library System of Catalonia extended the institution's depository functions and helped in its modernization, which included the remodelling of the building, its own functional reorganization and the digitization of its procedures.
During the 1990s, a major renovation project further transformed the library, including the construction of four underground levels of storage (creating more than 40 kilometres of shelf-space) and the annex building. In 1998, the Library renovated the Gothic elements of its buildings and extended its space, thanks to the construction of a new services building.
Partnership with Google
In 2007, the Biblioteca de Catalunya and four more Catalan libraries agreed to join the digitization project. These libraries have begun digitizing books of theirs that are in the public domainPublic domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
. The digitization partnership project is intended to make these books available on the Internet. The Biblioteca de Catalunya acts as coordinator and intermediary on behalf of the other four Catalan libraries participating in the project:
- the library of the Monastery of Montserrat,
- the Public Episcopal Library of the Seminary of Barcelona,
- the Library of the Barcelona Excursionist Centre and
- the Library of the Barcelona Athenaeum.
The Catalan libraries group became the second non-Anglo-Saxon collaborator to join the Google Books Library Project
Google Books Library Project
The Google Books Library Project is an effort by Google to scan and make searchable the collections of several major research libraries. The project, along with Google's Partner Program, comprise Google Books . Along with bibliographic information, snippets of text from a book are often viewable...
, within the Google Book Search
Google Book Search
Google Books is a service from Google that searches the full text of books that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical character recognition, and stored in its digital database. The service was formerly known as Google Print when it was introduced at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October...
program. In 1977, the National Library of Catalonia joined another Spanish participant in the project, the Complutense University of Madrid
Complutense University of Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid is a university in Madrid, and one of the oldest universities in the world. It is located on a sprawling campus that occupies the entirety of the Ciudad Universitaria district of Madrid, with annexes in the district of Somosaguas in the neighboring city of...
.
Statistical overview
- Linear metres of shelving:
- Free access: 1,500 m (20,000 volumes)
- Closed stacks: 49,000 m
- Approximate total surface area of the Biblioteca: 15,000 m2
- Approximate total surface area of the General reading room: 2,700 m2
- Approximate surface area of the Reserve room: 360 m2
- Seats (reading points): 229
- Total documents: 3 million (estimated)
See also
- List of libraries in Spain
- Google Book SearchGoogle Book SearchGoogle Books is a service from Google that searches the full text of books that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical character recognition, and stored in its digital database. The service was formerly known as Google Print when it was introduced at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October...
- Google Books Library ProjectGoogle Books Library ProjectThe Google Books Library Project is an effort by Google to scan and make searchable the collections of several major research libraries. The project, along with Google's Partner Program, comprise Google Books . Along with bibliographic information, snippets of text from a book are often viewable...
- PADICATPADICATPADICAT , coordinated by the Biblioteca de Catalunya, is a deposit of digital files, html, jpg and gif, initiated as a project in 2005 with the aim of collecting, processing and providing permanent access to the entire cultural, scientific and general output of Catalonia in digital format...
Further reading
- Fontbona, Francesc: Présentation dés tresors de la Unitat Gràfica de la Biblioteca de Catalunya, Barcelona, 2005.
- Jorba, Manuel: La Biblioteca de Catalunya com a biblioteca nacional, Barcelona, 1996; The Biblioteca de Catalunya national of library of Catalonia, Barcelona, 1993 ; Els 80 anys de la Biblioteca de Catalunya, Barcelona, 1994.
- Panyella, V.: The Biblioteca de Catalunya, National Library of Catalonia, Barcelona: Biblioteca de Catalunya, 1993.
- [Pere Bohigas (ed.)]: Cincuenta años de la antigua Biblioteca de Catalunya, Biblioteca Central de la Diputación de Barcelona, Barcelona 1968.
- Reis Fontanals, Marga Losantos: Biblioteca de Catalunya, 100 anys : 1907-2007, Biblioteca de Catalunya, Barcelona 2007
- Rodón, Juan: Salas de lectura de la Biblioteca de Catalunya, 1995.
- Rodríguez Parada, Concepción: Los fondos patrimoniales de la Biblioteca de Catalunya, Firenze, 2010.