About the National Library of Guatemala

Founded in 1879, the National Library of Guatemala (La Biblioteca Nacional de Guatemala, BNG) is part of the Ministry of Culture and Sports. It preserves the national bibliographic heritage and also functions as a public library which includes a special service for children. The total collection of volumes in the BNG is over 350,000.

The Foundation Archives

This original Guatemalan collection is comprised of the 50,000 documents with which the Library was founded in 1876. Covering Guatemalan events between the XV and XIX centuries, the collection includes valuable works in seven dead languages as well as manuscripts of Guatemalan authors and documents from the colonial years. Access to the materials is reserved only for people affiliated with an institution who are working towards publicizing their research.

The national archives are held in the Archivo General de Centro America which also holds almost 100,000 documents relating to Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Chiapa (a state of Mexico) as well as periodicals pertaining to the colonial period and independence, historical volumes, and microfilm.

The Valenzuela Collection

The famous Guatemalan bibliographer Gilberto Valenzuela, a pillar in the field of Guatemalan history, donated his collection of 55,000 articles, books and pamphlets and other varied information covering the sixteenth century through the beginnings of the twentieth century.

The Juan Jose Arevalo Collection

This collection is named after the Guatemalan president who was in office during the first period of the Revolution, a time noted for its marked change in politics for Guatamala. The documents contained in this collection are those of Dr. Arevalo himself and thus consist of texts concerning pedagogy, the history of literature, philosophy, geography and other materials handled by the president during his time as a politician.

The Guatemalan Collection

Containing solely Guatemalan bibliographic material, students of all scholastic levels find valuable resources in this collection. Guatemalan authors of all disciplines are included.

Collection of Legal Deposit

This consists of the bibliographic material Guatemalan authors deposit in the National Library.

Public Libraries in Guatemala

Ninety-three small public libraries exist throughout the republic. Of these libraries, 64 fall under the direction of the National Library; the remaining 29 are under the direction of the Bank of Guatemala, which sponsors them.

Academic Libraries

There are a number Universities in Guatemala City.

The Library of the Central Library of the Universidad de San Carlos (1966), an autonomous state university, is the largest academic library in the country. The collection comprises over 150,000 volumes.

The Library of the Universidad Rafael Llandivar (1963) has 20,000 volumes and 60 journals.

Additional libraries are also located at the Universidad Rafael Llandivar (1963), the Universidad Francisco Marroqu¡n (1972), the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (1966), and the Universidad Mariano Galvez (1966).

Special Libraries

The most important special libraries are in the capital. The Library of the Bank of Guatemala, founded in 1946, serves interests in banking, currency, and economics. The collection totals 31,000 volumes and 320 journals. It provides service to the Bank's officials and the general public.

The Library of the Institute de Nutrition de Centro America y Panama (INCAP), founded in 1949, specializes in nutrition and allied sciences. Its basic functions are research, teaching, and providing technical assistance to the area countries, and it also serves the general public. Its collection numbers 70,000 volumes.

The Library and Documentation Center of the Institute Centro Americano de Investigacion y Technologia Industrial (ICAITI), founded in 1956, serves industry and business; it also functions as the regional coordinator of the QAS Program of Information and Technical Assistance for Business in Central America.