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Spain 2
International Librarianship: Spanish Librarianship
Summer 2004
Instructor: Sergio Chaparro
Spain
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Cardenal Cisneros/ Alcala de Henares—manuscripts—La Universidad
Complutense—moved to Madrid during the 19th century/ Biblioteca de los Estudios
de San Isidro..anexed..//1 million works, 635 incunabula
Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Valladolid and Salamanca..The oldest university in
Spain. How about the oldest in the World???
Beginning of the 17th century Sevilla/Library founded by Diego Colon—the
Colombina—
Felipe II—El Escorial/ one of the most extensive libraries ever known.
Felipe V—Madrid, La Biblioteca Real/ The Royal Academy of Spanish Language
(1714), the Academy of History (1738)
18th Century/ Biblioteca del Palacio Real.
First Public Library/ Toledo (1771) Archbishop Francisco Antonio de Lorenzana.
Founded after Jesuits collections. (Strong Jesuit influence in the Americas-“The
Mission/ Robert de Niro and Jeremy Irons—Bad movie though)
Jesuit influence/ Religious interest. North of Spain.
Jesuits expelled from Toledo left behind extensive collections in their convents,
schools and monasteries.
For a good account of Jesuits books in Latin America: http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla60/60hall.htm Read the article for next class.
Rare Books in Latin America/ Lawrence Hallewell
“Western books, learned and popular, arrived with the conquistadors, within fifty years
of the European development of printing. Mesoamerica already had its own indigenous
books, although most of these were destroyed as part of the ideological aspect of the
conquest. Printing came to the New World within fifty years of its discovery. The survival
of these early books owes much to the religious orders, and the 18th century expulsion of
the Jesuits and their fine libraries was a calamity. It was however but one aspect of the
changes in society during the age of enlightenment which culminated in Latin American
independence. Unfortunately the independence struggle was followed by internal
factional conflicts, with Brazil and Chile the only countries achieving conditions stable
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enough for library development to proceed. Elsewhere stability returned in the second
half of the l9th century, often accompanied by the nationalization of the libraries of
religious foundations. Special departments of rare books in national and other major
libraries do not arrive until the present century. Lack of institutional continuity is a
major obstacle: large private collections often end up in foreign ibraries. That things are
changing for the better is illustrated by recent Brazilian instances. Preservation of
collections once formed is another matter: Latin American paper quality in the past has
often been very poor; even now acid-free paper is very seldom used.
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During the second half of the XIX century--Sociedad de Amigos del Pais--promoting
prosperity. Interest in founding libraries.
Library organization in Spain was based on the seizure of the religious orders that
were banned.
Many books went to the Biblioteca Nacional at Madrid (Madrid National Library).
There were however no effective government attempts to promote new libraries.
(1858) Faculty of Archivists, librarians, and Antiquarians. They took charge of the
nation’s archives, libraries and museums.
1856/ School of Diplomatics--library degrees--archivist-librarian.
Basically Spanish libraries were targeted to scholars.
Small public libraries were not created until 1869.
1920’s--creation of libraries for the public. Many libraries in Madrid and Cataluna.
Cataluňa formed also the School for librarians and the Library of Catalonia in
Barcelona. Books arranged using the Decimal classification. (Regionalism and its
consequences). Current holdings of the library half a million books, manuscripts and
incunabula.
Second Republic (1931)--great interest in promoting literacy specially in rural areas.
Patronato de Misiones Pedagógicas and Junta de Intercambio y Adquisicion de libros
para bibliotecas publicas. Municipal libraries were spreading under government
sponsorship (around 200 by the time war started in 1936).
Spanish Civil War--Destruction of libraries on both sides. Not only that, how do you
teach the Civil War to the future generations? There is some literature on the topic of
children books about the Spanish Civil War. Strong implications and analogies with
the American Civil War.
1939--General Board of Archives and Libraries/ a branch agency of the Education
Department
1947--The Board created the Servicio Nacional de Lectura (National reading Service)
to promote Spanish cultural development in general and reading in particular.
Membership for the Servicio Nacional de Lectura was “voluntary”. All provinces
joined but Barcelona and Navarra. why?) The service was eliminated after 1975
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(Why?) --when government was given back to provinces--Political aspects of
libraries--Languages and the issue of the “regions”. Coordinating centers of the old
NRS are still being used by the local governments.1,300 libraries and 13 million
patrons every year.
Private modern networks-Catalonia, Navarra, Madrid/ High Council for Scientific
Investigations.
“Renacimiento Espaňol” Spain looking at Europe rather than other Spanish speaking
nations.
Spain and the Colonies
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Spain and the colonies/ Who were the conquerors?
The Printing Press in the New World
1492-1824
Conversion of the Indians, the Bible .
Censorship and the Inquisition
The expulsion of the Jesuits
The independence and the secret libraries (Rousseau, Voltaire, etc.)
The National Libraries