blaa (Part 1)

Only a few blocks from our hostel is the Luis Angel Arango Library. In Spanish it is the Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango. The library actually uses the acronym "blaa" and in lower case letters too.

I don't know if they are trying to lighten things up with the funny acronym. Maybe. I would be all for that.

This library is probably the most famous in Columbia and it is operated by the Banco de la Republica, the national bank. It's mostly a research library with a collection of about 2 million items. The library began in the 1920s and for many years, when the public library system was underdeveloped, served as the public library for the city.

Today the Arango Library has a beautiful building that covers an entire block in the heart of La Candelaria. It still gets a lot of use. I read that many of the university libraries in the city have underdeveloped libraries because they just send their students to the Arango Library instead.

I was very impressed by the open hours of the library. It doesn't get much better than this (click to see).

The library is organized on five floors with a cafeteria on the top floor. The public service areas are organized by subject. The collection is mostly in closed stacks. You have to find what you want in the catalog and have it paged. As a result, I don't think they have a big circulation of materials.

Bogota also has a public library system called BibioRed that has some very nice big libraries and smaller neighborhood libraries, about 20 in all according this their web page. I wish I had some time to visit a few of these libraries.

The Arango Library also operates Bogota's Botero Museum which is right across the street from the Library. The Library has an auditorium and offers a lot of programs that are promoted right on the side of their building. There's lots going on nearly every day in May. Very impressive!