Barcelona will have five new libraries in 2030. This was announced this Monday by Jordi Martí, the city's deputy mayor for Culture, Education, Science and Community, and Ferran Burguillos, manager of the Consorci de Biblioteques de Barcelona in an act in which they presented the new master plan. The objective of this document is to mark the route plan for the coming years of what is "the facility most valued by the public", as Martí has recalled.
The new libraries will be that of Sarrià, the Prosperitat Ideal Plastica Flor Library, the La Marina del Prat Vermell Library, the Sant Gervasi Sud Library and the Public Library of l'Estat a Barcelona. The latter is a project that had been in the offices for decades, since its history dates back to 1996 when it was announced that it would be built in the old Born market. A decision that had to be reversed after archaeological remains of the city appeared and turned the space into the current Center for Culture and Memory. Finally, it was agreed to build the library next to the Estación de Francia.
The new facilities, added to the extensions of existing centers and the transfer of libraries that do not meet the standards described in the Public Reading Map of Catalonia, will mean a growth of nearly 31,000 m2. This means that in 2030 it is expected to touch 100,000 m2 in public library service. Or, which means the same thing, a growth of almost 30% in seven years.
As of today, the municipal network consists of 40 libraries, "one of reference in each district and thirty of proximity", Burguillos pointed out. This supposes a large fund of 2,361,552 documents and a human capital of 434 people. Currently, they recalled during the press conference, "work is being done to incorporate new profiles specialized in interculturality".
As defined during the presentation, each of these centers establishes among their present and future priorities "deepening into topics as diverse as education, sustainability, science, feminism, innovation, technology and social diversity throughout its dimension, from the collections to the criteria for hiring personnel and their activities”.
In order for this common objective to be met, the plan establishes four areas: the right of access to information and the generation of knowledge; the right to read, write and speak; the right to artistic participation; the right to education, continuous training and cultural literacy; and, finally, the right to equal access to culture.
