An Amazing Library

I think that it was on the blog "Gringopotpourri" that I first read about Mexico City's Vasconcelos Library.  Last week I finally got around to going there, and it was worth the visit.  The library is located next door to the old Buenavista Train Station, so it was easy to get there.  I just took the Metrobus north to the Buenavista stop.  

The library was built in 2006.  It houses a collection of 500,000 books.  That sounds impressive, although the number of volumes pales in comparison with the world's largest libraries.  What makes the Vasconcelos Library worth seeing is its amazing architecture... not so much its exterior, but its unique interior.

Fortunately I had read somewhere that it is necessary to get permission to take photographs of the interior.  I had to sign a paper saying that I was not going to use the photographs for commercial purposes, and I had to leave my driver's license with a security guard.  It was worth the hassle in order to have a visual record of my visit here.

My first impression upon entering the library was that it was like something out of a futuristic movie (although I suppose that in the distant future technology will have replaced books).  Above you are six stories of bookshelves that are suspended by girders from the ceiling.  The floors are all made of glass.

 

It is a public library, and people with a library card are allowed to check out books.  There are a lot of computer terminals, and rooms where you can listen to music or watch movies.  Even on this weekday morning there were quite a few people taking advantage of the facilities.  

I checked out their collection a bit... on one floor was shelf after shelf of British and North American literature (mostly in Spanish translation).  I saw everything from Shakespeare to Jane Austen to Herman Melville.  There were also plenty of popular authors represented such as Ian Fleming, Ken Follett and even Danielle Steele.

Although it was a dreary day, there is a good view from the balconies of the library.

Here you can see the Latin American Tower and at the far left the bell towers of the Cathedral.