The Basque Country (pdf, 4,3Mb) - Kultura Saila - Euskadi.net

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Chantrea Library.
Pamplona-Iruñea, Navarre.
Ignacio Aldecoa Library.
Vitoria-Gasteiz.
The “liburutegia” website coordinates
all of the municipal libraries in Euskadi.
8.2. Libraries
Both public and private libraries contribute to the advancement of
knowledge, the promotion of classic and contemporary literature
sand cultural development. The collections or services must not
be subject to censure, either ideological, political or religious, nor
to commercial pressure.
Nowadays there are a growing number of centres dedicated to
all types of documentation: books, magazines, music, films,
Internet, documentaries, databases, etc. By virtue of the 1979
Statute of Autonomy for the Basque Country, the Basque
Autonomous Community assumed responsibility for fulfilling the
regulations and obligations of the State for the defence of historic,
artistic, monumental, archaeological and scientific heritage.
The archives, libraries and museums not owned by the Spanish
central government were also transferred. The local councils are
responsible for the municipal libraries.
90% of municipal and provincial libraries are open more than 200
days per year. The vast majority use automatic systems (cataloguing
and to a lesser extent for loans) and are connected to the Internet.
62% of the collections are in Spanish and 30% in Euskara.
• Municipal libraries in Euskadi. The 280 municipal libraries in
Euskadi are managed by the local councils and form part of the
National Library System of Euskadi. The libraries of the capital
cities are especially important: the Bidebarrieta Municipal Library in
Bilbao, the Municipal or Central Library of Donostia-San Sebastian
and the network of Municipal Libraries of Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Steps are now being taken to put all municipal libraries online (www.
liburutegiak.euskadi.net), users to consult the collections of all
libraries via Internet. Similarly, a single library card would provide
access to all the libraries and to the interlibrary loan service.
• Provincial libraries. The Provincial
Library of Bizkaia (204,207 volumes) dates
from the end of the nineteenth century.
Starting in 1988 a thorough remodelling
was undertaken and in the 2002 it was
enlarged. The Provincial Library of Gipuzkoa,
now called Koldo Mitxelena Liburutegia
(216,703 volumes), came into existence
in 1947 and has been a leader in offering
services such as Internet access. The Ignacio
Aldecoa Cultural Centre (143,362 volumes),
inaugurated in 1842, is still owned by the
Spanish central government but is managed
by the Provincial Council of Araba.
• University libraries. The foremost is the library of the University
of Deusto, which started operating in 1888. In 1974 the Library
of the Basque Studies Institute was created. The University of the
Basque Country has its main library in Leioa and branch libraries
at the Vitoria-Gasteiz and Donostia-San Sebastian campuses.
Altogether, it is the largest and most diverse, with 1,015,000
volumes in 25 libraries. The University of Mondragón, the
University of Navarre and the Public University of Navarre also
each have their own several libraries.
• Specialised libraries. These are linked to cultural organisations
or institutions that work in a particular sphere.
• There are very significant ones specialising in Basque language
and culture (Eusko Ikaskuntza, Sancho el Sabio Foundation,
Euskaltzaindia, Euskal Biblioteka of the Labayru Institute, the
HABE library), prehistory, archaeology and ethnography (Aranzadi
Science Society), music (Eresbil, the tertiary-level Conservatory
of Music), film (Euskadiko Filmategia, the Basque Filmotheque),
religious publications (the Sanctuaries of Aranzazu and Loiola or
the Seminaries of Vitoria-Gasteiz and Donostia-San Sebastian),
in various subjects (Library of the “Sociedad Bilbaína”), and art
(Museum libraries).
There are libraries linked to the Administration such as the Central
Library and Departmental Libraries of the Basque Government
and the Library of the Basque Parliament. There are also some
online libraries, such as the library of Eusko Ikaskuntza-Society
of Basque Studies, now located in the Euskomedia Foundation.
• School libraries: Out of a total of 873 non-university-level
schools, 612 offer library services.
With regard to books on Basque subjects, there have been
important collections, including Eusko Bibliographia by Jon
Bilbao (1914-1994), and a collection of works by Juan Mari
Torrealdai.
The National Library of Euskadi, currently in the development
stage, will have leadership functions for the Basque Library
System and the Basque Digital Library.