Who are we?
Barcelona Llibres is the publishing label for Barcelona City Council. Under this name we can find all the books about the city and its people that the City Council publishes or co-publishes and releases onto the commercial circuit, as well as digital publications that can be downloaded free of charge.
Barcelona City Council, through its Directorate for Publishing Services and its publishing label, Barcelona Llibres, publishes around fifty books every year on a highly diverse range of topics linked to our city. Municipal publications are currently distributed in thee collections: “Gent de Barcelona”, “Barcelona Ecologia”, “Barcelona Present i Futur”, “Barcelona Arquitectura i Urbanisme”, “Barcelona Literària”, “Barcelona en Vinyetes”, “Barcelona Beceroles”, “Barcelona Ciutat i Barris”, “Darrere la Càmera”, “Arts a la Ciutat” and “Carnet de Voyage”.
The City Council adopts proposals from members of the public to produce new books and also works with the publishing sector on joint publications. This is a unique case among the world’s major cities, which unifies efforts, disseminates local knowledge, channels creative drive and helps with the distribution of works.
Barcelona Llibres offers a catalogue which introduces all municipal publications, the first of them dating back to the 1980s, when Maria Aurèlia Capmany was the Councillor for Culture and Publications with the City Council. The Directorate for Publishing Services is tasked with editing, producing, distributing and promoting municipal publications and works with all the municipal bodies which are behind those publications.
Barcelona Llibres is present on the most important social media networks, where it promotes new publications, and at book presentations too, at some of the most important events for the book sector, such as the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Liber Book Fair, as well as Sant Jordi’s Day and Catalan Book Week.
Publishing and Publications Board
Created by the Mayoral Decree of 13 March 2000, the Publishing and Publications Board at Barcelona City Council is the body tasked with assessing all the proposals received for publications and deciding which to approve. Project proposals are also received through the joint publishing agreement with the publishing sector, with a process to choose joint publications launched twice a year.
The Directorate for Publishing Services produces a graphic set of regulations for publications by Barcelona City Council and carries out all the publishing coordination tasks. It also has a production service, which coordinates the printing of books, communication products and municipal stationery. The directorate is also responsible for distributing municipal publications and managing the Sala Ciutat, the municipal bookshop with all the publications by Barcelona Llibres.
The same directorate also publishes, distributes and promotes the magazine Barcelona Metròpolis, a quarterly publication reflecting on major issues that concern people, a tool for stimulating debate and forum for considered thought about the city as the epicentre for important social changes.