Córdoba has a new library that stands out for being the first in Argentina to function in a cemetery. The library began to function during the pandemic in virtual format and now opens its doors with approximately 300 copies in paper format.
Residents from anywhere in the city can attend and join for free, being able to take reading or study material for 7 days, with the possibility of renewing another week.
The library has a system by which not only are the books cataloged and classified, but it also allows control of the collection and interaction with members. In this way, each associate will have their own password, and will be able to request the reservation of a book or be notified of the return of the copy.
The project arose in 2007 from an idea presented by the current coordinator of the library, Julio Meilán, a librarian and resident of the cemetery. The space was designed for the community that lives in the vicinity of the cemetery, made up of churches, a neighborhood center, schools of the three initial, primary, secondary, and university levels.
Through the library they seek to consolidate their bibliographic collection, expand all the themes, conserve, preserve bibliographic materials and promote the culture and history that is in the funeral precincts.
Also, they aim to build a social space for the training of students of different levels and the general public, promoting free access to ideas and safeguarding the collective memory of the community where it is inserted.
To start this face-to-face project, donations were received from the Library Association of Córdoba, the Federation of Popular Libraries of Córdoba, the Library of the National Congress, the Provincial Reading Plan, the Simón Bolívar Institute of Higher Education and the Ministry of Education of the Province of Córdoba. Also, the Cordovan writer Graciela Bialet gave away children’s literature books as well as personal collections from residents of the city.
It should be noted that the space was conceived as a specialized library, and it is intended to have biographies of personalities buried in the cemetery, being able to carry out a digital archive of biographies compiled from research work carried out by architects, historians, plastic artists, who may be consulted by historian researchers and the general public.