The Biblioteca de Catalunya – National Library of Catalonia

Abstract

Like all national libraries, the Biblioteca de Catalunya is being affected by change. Founded in 1907, it had a difficult time from the mid-1930s until constitutional government was restored, but received full recognition of its status and role as the national library of Catalonia in 1981; this was reinforced in 1993. It receives Catalan material on legal deposit, is responsible for the Catalan national bibliography and union catalogue, and acquires additional material by purchase, donation and exchange. Its collections, mainly of printed books and music, manuscripts and prints, number over 2 million items and include many rare and valuable documents. It also has an accepted leadership role among Catalan libraries. The changes afoot are mainly in the automation of acquisitions and cataloguing, where the library was a late starter but where much progress has already been made; in the progressive introduction of managerial methods into all procedures; and most conspicuously in a radical rebuilding programme which reflects the revised functions and redesigned procedures. The present medieval building is being reorganized internally to provide better reading and working areas, and previous additions to it are being removed and replaced with larger purpose-built storage areas. Some of the work is now completed, without any disruption to the library's operations, but the whole programme is not due to finish until 1996.