Biblioteca Nacional de Argentina (1812-2008)

Yago CuraGSLIS #701: Hess

YCura100@queens.cuny.educroto26@yahoo.com

April 7, 2008

History of the Argentine National Library

• 1810: Establised as Biblioteca Publica de BA on 7 Sept.

• 1812: Opens on March 16.• Jesuit Schools of Córdoba, Colegio

de San Carlos de BA, and outstanding private collections comprise initial coll.

• 1884: Under Wilde’s tenure becomes la Biblio. Nac. de Argentina.

• 1885: Under Groussac’s direction collection is cataloged and classified.

• 1885: 25,000 volumes.• 1893: 62,000 volumes.• 1960: Construction begins on new

facility• 1994: Over 1 million volumes.

Advocates: Moreno & Sarmiento

• 1810: Mariano Moreno, Secretary of the May Junta.

• Founder of La Gaceta de Bueno Aires (Buenos Aires Gazette).

• 1810: On June 7 publishes “Orden de la Junta” (Order of the Junta) to announce the resolutions reached by May Junta.

• Designated “Protector” of Biblioteca Publica de Buenos Aires.

• 1868-1874: Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, President of Argentina.

• Established public libraries in fourteen parishes in Buenos Aires.

• 1884: Enactment of Act number 1420 on Ordinary Education (Ley de Educación Común No. 1420) creates library called Biblioteca Pública de Maestros (Public Library for Teachers).

• 1870: With Act number 419 spreads public libraries all over national territory.

Extent of BNA

• 7 floors.• 3 basements.• Total area of 22,000

m² (square meters).• Over 1 million

volumes (1994).• Incunabula: 21 items.• Foulché-Delbosc

Collection (French Hispanist).

Famous Directors of the BNA

• Jose Marmol (1858-1871) : Poet and journalist, publishes first Argentine novel “Amalia” in 1885.

• Paul Groussac (1885-1929) : French national “modernized” the BNA; historian, novelist, and literary critic.

• Gustavo Martínez de Zuviría (1931-1955) : Novelist, lawyer, and academic; used pseudonym, Hugo Wast.

• Jorge Luis Borges (1955-1973) : Poet and essayist; shared the Premio Formentor with Samuel Beckett (1961) and the Cervantes with Gerardo Diego (1981); “Ficciones” and “Labyrinths” best known translations of his stories (1962).

Brutalist Architecture

• 1961: Construction started by Clorindo Testa, Francisco Bullrich y Alicia Cazzaniga whose design won first prize in national competition.

• Main objective with design was to ensure provision of growth, especially in regards to Legal Deposit and expanding collection.

• Majority of construction is subterranean to accommodate hundreds of thousands of materials in Legal Deposit and collections.

• Subterranean construction as a means to preserve green space and the natural surroundings of the library.

April 2008 @the BNA• April 7th: Entre la tierra y el mar:

a celebration of Joseph Conrad.

• April 11th: Cine + Música de autor: a cycle of cinema and music organized by la Nave de los Suenos (The Airship of Dreams) and the BNA.

• April 13th: La Cantante Calva or the Bald Singer by Eugene Ionesco.

• April 16th: Conference: Homenaje a César Vallejo, organized by the Peruvian embassy and the BNA.

• April 18th: Conference: Roberto Arlt: two roundtables devoted to the distinct aspects of his literary work.

Summary• 1810: Biblioteca Publica de Buenos

Aires established on 7 Sept. by Executive Order of Government Junta.

• Sarmiento establishes public libraries in fourteen parishes in Buenos Aires which solidifies need for national library.

• 1884: BP de BA becomes BNA under tenure of Jose Antonio Wilde.

• 1885: Paul Groussac “modernizes” BNA; first cataloged and classified entire BNA collection; first to use quantitative data on patronage, etc.

• 1993: BNA moves into new building; main objective with design was to ensure provision of growth, especially in regards to Legal Deposit and expanding collection.

• 1994: Over 1 million volumes.