Biblioteca Nacional de la República Argentina
Encyclopedia
The National Library of the Argentine Republic (Spanish language
: Biblioteca Nacional de la República Argentina) is the largest library
in Argentina
and one of the most important in the Americas
. It is located in the barrio
of Recoleta
in Buenos Aires
.
, it later became the country’s only national library when it redefined its mission in 1884 and formally changed its name to the National Library of Argentina. The first headquarters, an old 18th century mansion that belonged to the Jesuits, was located on the corner of Moreno Street and Peru Street, within the historic Jesuit site known as the Manzana de Las Luces
.
Mariano Moreno, the first director, prompted the creation of the Library as part of a package of measures aimed at forging a public alert towards political and civic life. Moreover, the foundation of the Public Library was laid upon the vindication of public education and instruction as a means for building an autonomous country. The initial collection was interwoven with the struggle for independence, and was gathered from the expropriated personal collection of Bishop Orellana as well as the patriotic donations of the Cabildo, the Real Colegio San Carlos
, Luis José Chorroarín, and Manuel Belgrano
. The library’s first chief directors were Dr. Saturnino Segurola and Fray Cayetano Rodriguez
, both men of the Church. They were followed by Chorroarín and Manuel Moreno (brother and biographer of the founder). The lineage of directors which followed is still considered a crucial part of the Argentine intellectual and historic fabric: Marcos Sastre, Carlos Tejedor
, José Mármol
, Vicente Quesada, Manuel Trelles, and José Antonio Wilde.
followed his directorship. Groussac created a methodical classification system based on Brunet’s bibliographic model, undertook the cataloging of the manuscript collection, and published two remarkable journals: La Biblioteca, being one of the most prestigious literary journals, and Los Anales de la Biblioteca.
Another milestone was the opening of the building on Mexico Street (in the Montserrat
ward) in 1901, a building which was originally designed for the National Lottery. This is the reason early visitors unfamiliar with the story of the building were commonly surprised when walking a staircase adorned with lottery-ornaments. During Groussac’s forty-year administration the library’s patrimony was also enriched with many important donations including Angel Justiniano Carranza‘s personal collection, 18,600 volumes from the nineteenth-century legal expert Amancio Alcorta
, and Martín García Merou’s collection - which included valuable papers regarding the foundation of the city of Buenos Aires. Ironically, just as the former director Mármol and the future director, Borges, Groussac developed blindness. He still operated as the National Library’s director for some years before dying in 1929.
In 1931 the widely known novelist Gustavo Martínez Zuviría
was appointed as the Library’s eighteenth director. During Martinez Zuviria’s tenure the modernization of services and the growth of the library collection became his focus; both of which enhanced the nation’s heritage. Among the many purchases and donations received, it is important to highlight his purchase of the Foulché-Delbosc collection.
The next director, whose presence is one of Argentina’s key twentieth century intellectual figures, was Jorge Luis Borges
. He managed the institution along with the vice director Edmundo José Clemente from 1955 through 1973. Shortly after his appointment he was informed that he needed to give up reading and writing because of his weakened vision.
and his late wife Evita
resided. Following a politically-motivated demolition of the Unzué Palace in 1958, the grounds were designated for the library's new main building. The brutalist
structure was designed in 1961, though construction did not begin until 1971. The new library was inaugurated on April 10, 1992.
The successive changes in government leadership and bureaucracies, along with certain indifferences towards cultural matters were factors that delayed the project originally envisioned by the architectural team of Clorindo Testa
, Francisco Bullrich, and Alicia Cazzaniga. The library’s architectural style also called brutalism is usually a cause for questioning and study by architecture students. At the same time of the new building, the need for a trained staff in library science led to the creation of the National School of Librarians whose first term started during Borges’ tenure in 1957 at the Mexico Street building.
The historian Vicente Sierra was designated to take Borges’ place after the 1973 electoral elections and Sierra remained its director up until the 1976 military coup. From that time until the restoration of democracy in 1983 Clemente and Horacio Hernán Hernández were appointed the library’s directors. During the democracy, the historian Gregorio Weimberg took the leadership, but resigned within a year. He was followed by Dardo Cúneo, another prolific journalist and writer who in turn was followed by José María Castiñeira de Dios in 1989. It was during the Castiñeira de Dios tenure that the new building was inaugurated and the initial transfer of the library materials and records took place.
The National Library’s history mirrors the strokes that reflect the social and political life of the nation. It is important to mention the remaining directors who have managed the library from 1991 through the present: Enrique Pavón Pereyra, Héctor Yanover, Oscar Sbarra Mitre, Francisco Delich, Silvio Maresca, Horacio Salas, Elvio Vitali, and its current director, Horacio González
.
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Biblioteca Nacional de la República Argentina) is the largest library
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...
in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and one of the most important in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. It is located in the barrio
Barrio
Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
of Recoleta
Recoleta
Recoleta is a downtown residential neighborhood in the city of Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina; it is an area of great historical and architectural interest, due, particularly to the Recoleta Cemetery located there...
in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
.
Public Library of Buenos Aires
Originally named the Public Library of Buenos Aires and founded in September 1810 by decree of the first Government Junta of the May Revolution first Government JuntaPrimera Junta
The Primera Junta or First Assembly is the most common name given to the first independent government of Argentina. It was created on 25 May 1810, as a result of the events of the May Revolution. The Junta initially had representatives from only Buenos Aires...
, it later became the country’s only national library when it redefined its mission in 1884 and formally changed its name to the National Library of Argentina. The first headquarters, an old 18th century mansion that belonged to the Jesuits, was located on the corner of Moreno Street and Peru Street, within the historic Jesuit site known as the Manzana de Las Luces
Illuminated Block
The Illuminated Block is a historical landmark in the Monserrat neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina.-History:The Society of Jesus arrived in the newly-founded village of Buenos Ayres in 1608, establishing their first mission on a 2 hectare lot which had earlier been aside by Spanish...
.
Mariano Moreno, the first director, prompted the creation of the Library as part of a package of measures aimed at forging a public alert towards political and civic life. Moreover, the foundation of the Public Library was laid upon the vindication of public education and instruction as a means for building an autonomous country. The initial collection was interwoven with the struggle for independence, and was gathered from the expropriated personal collection of Bishop Orellana as well as the patriotic donations of the Cabildo, the Real Colegio San Carlos
Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires
Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires is a public high school in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the tradition of the European gymnasium it provides a free education that includes classical languages such as Latin and Greek. The school is one of the most prestigious in Argentina...
, Luis José Chorroarín, and Manuel Belgrano
Manuel Belgrano
Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano , usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano, was an Argentine economist, lawyer, politician, and military leader. He took part in the Argentine Wars of Independence and created the Flag of Argentina...
. The library’s first chief directors were Dr. Saturnino Segurola and Fray Cayetano Rodriguez
Cayetano José Rodríguez
Cayetano José Rodríguez was an Argentine cleric, journalist and poet. He was a representative to the Congress of Tucumán of 9 July 1816 which declared the Independence of Argentina....
, both men of the Church. They were followed by Chorroarín and Manuel Moreno (brother and biographer of the founder). The lineage of directors which followed is still considered a crucial part of the Argentine intellectual and historic fabric: Marcos Sastre, Carlos Tejedor
Carlos Tejedor
Carlos Tejedor may refer to:*Carlos Tejedor , governor of Buenos Aires *Carlos Tejedor Partido, an administrative district in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina*Carlos Tejedor, Buenos Aires, a city in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina...
, José Mármol
José Mármol
José Mármol was an Argentine journalist, politician, librarian, and writer of the Romantic school.Born in Buenos Aires, he initially studied law, but abandoned his studies in favor of politics. In 1839, no sooner had he begun to make a name for himself than he was arrested for his opposition to...
, Vicente Quesada, Manuel Trelles, and José Antonio Wilde.
National Library
When Buenos Aires became the capital of the Republic, the Public Library of Buenos Aires became the National Library and Antonio Wilde was appointed as its director. Wilde’s tenure did not last long due to his old age and death after a sudden illness. Paul GroussacPaul Groussac
Paul-François Groussac was a French-born Argentine writer, literary critic, historian, and librarian. He was born in Toulouse to Catherine Deval and Pierre Groussac, the scion of an old Languedocian family.-Biography:...
followed his directorship. Groussac created a methodical classification system based on Brunet’s bibliographic model, undertook the cataloging of the manuscript collection, and published two remarkable journals: La Biblioteca, being one of the most prestigious literary journals, and Los Anales de la Biblioteca.
Another milestone was the opening of the building on Mexico Street (in the Montserrat
Montserrat, Buenos Aires
Monserrat is a neighbourhood located in the east of the Buenos Aires CBD. The district features some of the most important public buildings in Buenos Aires, including city hall, the city legislature, Casa Rosada, the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires and the Libertador Building , among...
ward) in 1901, a building which was originally designed for the National Lottery. This is the reason early visitors unfamiliar with the story of the building were commonly surprised when walking a staircase adorned with lottery-ornaments. During Groussac’s forty-year administration the library’s patrimony was also enriched with many important donations including Angel Justiniano Carranza‘s personal collection, 18,600 volumes from the nineteenth-century legal expert Amancio Alcorta
Amancio Alcorta
Amancio Alcorta was an Argentine legal theorist, conservative politician and diplomat.-Life and times:Amancio Alcorta was born in Buenos Aires, in 1842, and enrolled at the University of Buenos Aires, where he received a juris doctor, in 1867...
, and Martín García Merou’s collection - which included valuable papers regarding the foundation of the city of Buenos Aires. Ironically, just as the former director Mármol and the future director, Borges, Groussac developed blindness. He still operated as the National Library’s director for some years before dying in 1929.
In 1931 the widely known novelist Gustavo Martínez Zuviría
Gustavo Martínez Zuviría
Gustavo Martínez Zuviría was de facto Federal Interventor of Córdoba, Argentina from June 28, 1966 to July 27, 1966....
was appointed as the Library’s eighteenth director. During Martinez Zuviria’s tenure the modernization of services and the growth of the library collection became his focus; both of which enhanced the nation’s heritage. Among the many purchases and donations received, it is important to highlight his purchase of the Foulché-Delbosc collection.
The next director, whose presence is one of Argentina’s key twentieth century intellectual figures, was Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
. He managed the institution along with the vice director Edmundo José Clemente from 1955 through 1973. Shortly after his appointment he was informed that he needed to give up reading and writing because of his weakened vision.
New Building
Clemente, his second-in-command and close friend, was very involved in the construction of the new building, located at the site of the Unzué Palace, the official residence where President Juan PerónJuan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
and his late wife Evita
Eva Perón
María Eva Duarte de Perón was the second wife of President Juan Perón and served as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. She is often referred to as simply Eva Perón, or by the affectionate Spanish language diminutive Evita.She was born in the village of Los Toldos in...
resided. Following a politically-motivated demolition of the Unzué Palace in 1958, the grounds were designated for the library's new main building. The brutalist
Brutalist architecture
Brutalist architecture is a style of architecture which flourished from the 1950s to the mid 1970s, spawned from the modernist architectural movement.-The term "brutalism":...
structure was designed in 1961, though construction did not begin until 1971. The new library was inaugurated on April 10, 1992.
The successive changes in government leadership and bureaucracies, along with certain indifferences towards cultural matters were factors that delayed the project originally envisioned by the architectural team of Clorindo Testa
Clorindo Testa
Clorindo Manuel José Testa is an Italian-Argentine architect and artist. He graduated from the School of Architecture at the Universidad de Buenos Aires in 1948....
, Francisco Bullrich, and Alicia Cazzaniga. The library’s architectural style also called brutalism is usually a cause for questioning and study by architecture students. At the same time of the new building, the need for a trained staff in library science led to the creation of the National School of Librarians whose first term started during Borges’ tenure in 1957 at the Mexico Street building.
The historian Vicente Sierra was designated to take Borges’ place after the 1973 electoral elections and Sierra remained its director up until the 1976 military coup. From that time until the restoration of democracy in 1983 Clemente and Horacio Hernán Hernández were appointed the library’s directors. During the democracy, the historian Gregorio Weimberg took the leadership, but resigned within a year. He was followed by Dardo Cúneo, another prolific journalist and writer who in turn was followed by José María Castiñeira de Dios in 1989. It was during the Castiñeira de Dios tenure that the new building was inaugurated and the initial transfer of the library materials and records took place.
The National Library’s history mirrors the strokes that reflect the social and political life of the nation. It is important to mention the remaining directors who have managed the library from 1991 through the present: Enrique Pavón Pereyra, Héctor Yanover, Oscar Sbarra Mitre, Francisco Delich, Silvio Maresca, Horacio Salas, Elvio Vitali, and its current director, Horacio González
Horacio González
Horacio González is an Argentine teacher and essayist. He is the current president of the National Library of the Argentine Republic. -Life:...
.