Biblioteques especialitzades
In Barcelona, there are some two hundred libraries that hold documents and references. Many works of fiction are based on, or inspired by the information contained in these archives and documentation centres, which allow writeres to create situations and storylines set in times gone by.
- Biblioteca Nacional de Catalunya. Located since 1939, in the old Hospital de la Santa Creu in Barcelona, a Gothic building dating back to 1401, the Biblioteca de Catalunya conserves the Catalan over three million copies of manuscripts, printed books, graphic material, sound files, photographs and audio-visuals, newspapers and magazines. It includes the most important collection of books on the Quichotte and Miguel de Cervantes in the world in the Sala Cervantina.
- Arús Public Library. Founded in 1895 by a shopkeeper with artistic and intellectual curiosity, Rossend Arús, who was also promoter of the magazines “La llumanera de Nova York” and “La luz”, this library is specialized in nineteenth and twentieth century culture and society. with collections on working class, anarchism and freemasonry.
- Biblioteca Tàpies Foundation. Situated in the building of the old Montaner i Simón publishing house on Carrer Aragó, this is a contemporary art library houses a significant amount of work by Antoni Tàpies. It has over 50,000 books, more than 500 periodicals and 800 videos.
- Biblioteca Jacques Dupin Joan Miró Foundation. Octagonal shaped, this is one of the libraries with the best views over the city and the most natural light. It houses a bibliographic and audio-visual collection of art from the twentieth century. It also comprises an Archive with over 10,000 documents comprising drawings, drafts, and notes made by Joan Miró over the course of his life.
- Funeral Library of Cemeteries of Barcelona : It has one of the most extensive collections of bibliographic material on the subject in Spain and the second most extensive in Europe. You can find references on funeral rituals from diverse civilizations.
- Biblioteca Institut Cambó. (Bernat Metge Collection) One of the great collections of classic literature in the world. In 1922, Francesc Cambó decided to translate the works of Greek and Latin into Catalan. Homer, Herodotus, Aeschylus, Caesar, Cicero, Plato, Aristotle etc. Today the collection has over 400 volumes. The library is located on Via Laietana.
- Photographic Archive of Barcelona. It houses a library with over one thousand volumes on photography. You must make an appointment to visit.
- Historic Archive of the City of Barcelona. The bibliographic material comprises 140,000 volumes and increases every year by one thousand new books on Barcelona, personalities, history, urbanism, art, etc. The catalogues containing the different collections can be consulted online or by appointment to visit.
- Biblioteca Cercle Artístic Sant Lluc. This library conserves art magazines since 1880, a select collection from the modernist period with Pèl&Ploma, Japon artístique and the noucentista, Empori and D’ací d’allà. It contains over one hundred titles which are continuosly updated with the latest editions of Serra d’Or, Coup de fuet and Bonart.
- Biblioteca d’Universitats i Recerca. The Universities and Research Library has two main buildings, one at the Research Secretariat on Via Laietana, and the other at the South Library on Carrer Vergós. Both are used for consultation on the latest scientific research, and also contain science novels.
- Biblioteca del Cinema. The Film Library has a unique collection in Europe with 45,000 books, 120 magazine titles received on a regular basis, over 8,000 films in DVD format, and 5,000 book soundtracks.
- Biblioteca de l'Ateneu. This is one of the institutions that looks after the city's documentary heritage, home to culture since the middle of the fourteenth century, and also features a library with more than 450,000 books. It is currently working on several projects to promote reading and give value to the collections.
- Càtedra Gaudí. This is a documentation centre to preserve the city's architectural legacy with original pieces and work by Gaudí, while it also contains a collection of historic documents from the time
- The Royal Academy of Literature Library
- The Astronomical Association of Barcelona Library
- Archive of the Crown of Aragon Library
- Institution of Catalan Literature Library
- British Institute Library
- Institute Goethe Digital Library
- French Institute Media Library
- Italian Institute Library
- Institut Català de la Pau
- Institute for Photographic Studies of Catalonia
- The Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences of Barcelona Library
- American House Library
- The Montserrat Roig Documentation Centre College of Journalists
- The Cultural Resources Study Centre of Barcelona Provincial Council
- The Centre for Performing Arts Documentation and Museum
- Central Library of of the Department of Culture of the Government of Catalonia
- The Archive of the Catalan Studies Institute. The funds of the Archive of the Catalan Studies Institute are made up of the documentation generated by the institution itself in the exercise of its functions and activities, from its foundation, in 1907, to the present day. It also has personal funds and from entities that correspond to members of the Institute and outstanding personalities of Catalan culture.
- Democratic Memorial
- MACBA - Museum of Contemporary Art Library
- MUHBA - Barcelona History Museum Library
- The Music Museum Library
- Museum of Design Hub Library
- Museum Frederic Marès Library
- MNAC - National Art Museum Library
- Picasso Museum Library
- Parlament of Catalonia Library
- TERMCAT Online Library