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Chronology

Biblioteca del Institut d'Estudis Catalans

1907

Foundation of the Biblioteca de Catalunya as the library of the Institut d'Estudis Catalans, placed in the Palau de la Generalitat. 

 

Biblioteca del Institut d'Estudis Catalans

1914

The Mancomunitat of Catalonia gives to the library its condition as cultural and public service.

 

Reserva Impresa y Colecciones Especiales, y de Música

1917

The library created two new sections, the Rare Books and Special Collections, and Music, which favored that some heritage collections and important pieces were incorporated to the library and catalogued.

 

secció d'Estampes, Gravats i Mapes

1923

The internal organization of the institution was strengthened thanks to the creation of the Stamps, Engravings and Maps section that collects graphic materials. 

 

Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu

1931

The Barcelona’s City Council approved the cession of the former Hospital de la Santa Creu as a new site for the Biblioteca de Catalunya.

 

Biblioteca Central

1940

When the Civil War finished, the institution, renamed by Franco’s regime as Biblioteca Central, opened to the public in the new site. 

 

Arte Joven

1952

It was established the section of Periodicals, which collects serials, journals and magazines. 

 

Biblioteca Nacional de Catalunya

1981

The library becomes national library of Catalonia according to the libraries Law passed by Parliament of Catalonia, and it is conferred the reception, conservation and dissemination of the Legal Diposit of Catalonia. 

 

Hemeroteca

1993

The Ministry of Culture transfers to the BC, the Newspaper Archive, the Audiovisual Archive, the Ephemera collection and the national bibliographic services. The Parliament passes the Law on library system, which defines the functions of the Biblioteca de Catalunya as national library and its structure in four Units: Bibliographic, Graphic, Newspapers and Sound. 

 

Naus gòtiques

1998

The library opens the reform of the Gothic wings and the space extension, thanks to the construction of a services building. The remodeling of the building deserved the FAD award of interior design in 1995 and the Premi Nacional de Patrimoni in 1998. 

 

Cronologia 2000

2000

The BC begins the digitization of its collections in order to give access to documents throughout technology.

 

projectes crono

2005

ARCA (Arxiu de Revistes Catalanes Antigues), PADICAT (Patrimoni Digital de Catalunya) and Memòria Digital de Catalunya opened to the public at Internet.

 

Cronologia 2007

2007

The Biblioteca de Catalunya and four more Catalan libraries sign an agreement with Google Books to digitized hundred of thousand books in public domain (without copyright) and make them available by Internet.