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National Library to the Argentine Republic

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 Junta, 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 at 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: Sastre, Carlos Tejedor, José Mármol, Vicente Quesada, Manuel Trelles, and José Antonio Wilde.

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 Groussac 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 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 legal expert Amancio Alcorta, and the Martín García Merou’s collection which included valuable papers regarding the foundation of the city of Buenos Aires. Ironically, just like the former director Mármol and, later Borges, Groussac became blind but still operated as the National Library’s director for some years before dying in 1929.

In 1931 the widely known novelist Martínez ZuviríaGustavo Martínez Zuviríawas 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.

Clemente, his second-in-command and close friend, was very involved in the construction of the new building located at the presidential residence which previously housed Juan Domingo Perón and his late wife Evita. This famous residence later became the site of the present National Library. As for its new facilities, the library was the subject of a lengthy undertaking that spanned from 1960 until its inauguration in 1993. 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 Cazzanica. The library’s architectural style also called brutalismis usually a cause for questioning and study by architecture students. Later, 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 Castiñeira de Dios’ directorship that the new building was inaugurated and the 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 Gonzalez.