# National Library of Peru

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National library, cultural heritage site in Peru

You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Spanish. (August 2014) Click [show] for important translation instructions. View a machine-translated version of the Spanish article. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must follow the LLM translation guideline, revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Spanish Wikipedia article at [[:es:Biblioteca Nacional del Perú]]; see its history for attribution. You may also add the template {{Translated|es|Biblioteca Nacional del Perú}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

National Library of Peru Biblioteca Nacional del Perú Facade of the modern San Borja District branch facing Javier Prado Avenue 12°3′0″S 77°1′42″W / 12.05000°S 77.02833°W / -12.05000; -77.02833 (Lima district branch) Location Lima, Peru Established 1821 Branches 2 (in Lima District and in San Borja District) Collection Items collected Books, newspapers, magazines, manuscripts, historical documents, microforms, films, photographs, sound and music recordings, etc. Size 7 million Legal deposit Yes Access and use Access requirements Reader card Circulation Non-circulating Other information Budget S/. 32.1 million (2014) Director María Emma Mannarelli Website www.bnp.gob.pe

The **National Library of Peru** (Spanish: *Biblioteca Nacional del Perú*) is the [national library](/source/National_library) of [Peru](/source/Peru), located in [Lima](/source/Lima%2C_Peru). It is the country's oldest and most important library. Like the majority of Peruvian libraries, it is a non-circulating library. It has two branches: the old building is on [Abancay Avenue](/source/Avenida_Abancay) (in [Lima District](/source/Lima_District)) and the modern building is on [Avenida Javier Prado](/source/Avenida_Javier_Prado) (in [San Borja District](/source/San_Borja_District)). Both are open to the public.

## History

The library was founded by [José de San Martín](/source/Jos%C3%A9_de_San_Mart%C3%ADn) in 1821, after he donated his collection of books and praised the new library as: "... one of the most efficient mediums to place into circulation our intellectual values". The library has various duties, among which it must formulate, conduct, supervise, and evaluate the fulfillment of policies and plans of development of library service within a national and international sphere for educational purposes. These and other administrative decisions concerning the library also depend on the ministry of education of the country.

Historically, the library has passed through various phases of restructurion since its foundation. During the [War of the Pacific](/source/War_of_the_Pacific), the Chilean army, after taking Lima, ransacked various items along with much capital stock from the library. Peruvian author and scholar [Ricardo Palma](/source/Ricardo_Palma), who was director of the library in 1884, noted in one of his recounts that of the 56,000 works the library possessed before the war, only 378 were left at the end of the occupation.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] In 2007, 3,778 books were returned to Peru from Chile.[1] There are current talks between the director of the library and Chilean authorities on identifying works which might belong to Peru that would be eventually returnable. Another significant event the library has gone through was a fire which almost completely destroyed the grounds of the library on 10 May 1943, in which various highly valued historical works were lost.[2][3] A new building was erected on the same grounds of the old library along with a training center for future librarian administrators.

## Modernization

The National Library of Peru is currently undergoing a modernization program which aspires to turn the library into one of Latin America's most modern libraries. It is located in Lima's [San Borja District](/source/San_Borja_District). After years of financial planning for the new building, the government of Peru financially collaborated to finish the building, along with a loan of up to seven million dollars from Spain to equip the new library with modern equipment. According to official sources from the library, it is said to have a bibliographic patrimony valued at around 400 million dollars. Among historical works the library has is the first book printed in Lima in 1584 along with other historical books dating back to colonial times. The new library will also attempt to connect to other Peruvian libraries in an effort to create an online national catalog of books and other materials for better research.

The new library was officially inaugurated on 27 March 2006. To mark the occasion, the then Minister of Education, [Javier Sota Nadal](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Javier_Sota_Nadal&action=edit&redlink=1), commissioned a symphonic poem from Peruvian composer [Jimmy Lopez](/source/Jimmy_Lopez). The work titled, "America Salvaje", is inspired by the poem "Blasón" by [José Santos Chocano](/source/Jos%C3%A9_Santos_Chocano). President [Alejandro Toledo](/source/Alejandro_Toledo) and National Library director Sinesio López were present at the inauguration.[4]

The new library's building in [San Borja District](/source/San_Borja_District)

## National Library System of Peru

The National Library (Biblioteca Nacional) is the head of the Sistema Nacional de Bibliotecas (SNB) del Perú.

## See also

- [List of Chilean-Peruvian controversies](/source/List_of_Chilean-Peruvian_controversies)

- [List of Jesuit sites](/source/List_of_Jesuit_sites)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-NewYorkTimes2007_1-0)** [Chile: Plundered Books Returned](https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D06E1DE113DF934A35752C1A9619C8B63)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-lostmemoryunesco_2-0)** [LOST MEMORY – LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES DESTROYED IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY](http://www.unesco.org/webworld/mdm/administ/pdf/LOSTMEMO.PDF) ( [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110607035711/http://www.unesco.org/webworld/mdm/administ/pdf/LOSTMEMO.PDF) 7 June 2011 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Carlos Aguirre: El incendio de la Biblioteca Nacional del Perú de 1943](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d1_XtHDLsM) on [YouTube](/source/YouTube_video_(identifier))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Fue inaugurada la nueva sede de la Biblioteca Nacional del Perú"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304195756/http://www.bnp.gob.pe/portalbnp/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=159:fue-inaugurada-la-nueva-sede-de-la-biblioteca-nacional-del-per&catid=19:abril2006&Itemid=266). National Library of Peru. 28 March 2006. Archived from [the original](http://www.bnp.gob.pe/portalbnp/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=159:fue-inaugurada-la-nueva-sede-de-la-biblioteca-nacional-del-per&catid=19:abril2006&Itemid=266) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2011.

## External links

- (in Spanish) [Biblioteca Nacional del Perú](https://web.archive.org/web/20080915061209/http://www.bnp.gob.pe/portalbnp/)

- (in Spanish) [Biblioteca Nacional del Perú (Biblioteca Virtual)](https://web.archive.org/web/20080828041740/http://bvirtual.bnp.gob.pe/bvirtual/index.php)

- (in Spanish) [Biblioteca Nacional del Perú (Blog de la Biblioteca Virtual)](https://bibliotecavirtualbnp.blogspot.com/)

- (in Spanish) [librosperuanos.com](https://web.archive.org/web/20181228130855/http://librosperuanos.com/html/Articulo_Biblioteca.htm) related articles

v t e Lima landmarks Pre-Columbian buildings Huaca Huallamarca Huaca Pucllana Huaca Santa Catalina Pachacamac Puruchuco Colonial buildings Balconies of Lima Basilica and Convent of Nuestra Señora de la Merced Monument Plazoleta Basilica and Convent of San Francisco Catacombs Basilica and Convent of San Pedro Basilica of Santo Domingo Plazuela Casa de Aliaga Casa de Divorciadas Casa de Osambela Casa de Pilatos Casa del Oidor Casa Goyeneche Casa Hacienda Punchauca Casa Matusita Casa O'Higgins Casa Riva-Agüero Casona of the National University of San Marcos Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Museum of Art Theatre Basilica Cathedral of Lima Sanctuary Cementerio Presbítero Matías Maestro Cripta de los Héroes Church of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Church of Saint Catherine of Siena Church of Saint Lazarus Church of the Good Death Church of the Holy Christ of Wonders Church of the Orphans Church of Our Lady of Copacabana Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church of Our Lady of Patronage Church of Saint Anne Church of Saint Augustine Church of Saint Liberata Church of Saint Mary Magdalene Convent of Our Lady of the Angels Cuartel Barbones Fort of Santa Catalina Iglesia de la Recoleta Mogrovejo Hospital Monastery of Saint Rose of Lima National Mint of Peru Palacio de la Magdalena Palacio de Torre Tagle Panteón de los Próceres Plaza de toros de Acho Real Felipe Fortress Royal College of the University of San Marcos Royal Hospital of Saint Andrew Sanctuary and Monastery of Las Nazarenas Sanctuary of Saint Rose of Lima Seminario de Lima St. Clare's Monastery Mill St. Sebastian's Church Trinitarian Church Walls of Lima Other touristic buildings Archbishop's Palace Association of Amateur Artists Atlas Building Bar Cordano Basílica María Auxiliadora BBVA Building Begonias Tower Casa Arenas Loayza Casa de Correos y Telégrafos Casa de las Trece Monedas Casa del Pueblo Casa Fernandini, Lima Casa Fernandini, Santa María del Mar Casa Roosevelt Casa Rusa Casa Sal y Rosas Casa Suárez Chinatown Arch Chocavento Tower Church of Our Lady of the Forsaken Club de la Unión Club Nacional Country Club Lima Hotel Cristo del Pacífico Delfines Hotel & Convention Center Desamparados station Diez de Octubre School Eduardo Dibos Colosseum El Ángel Cemetery Gamarra Government Palace Obelisk Gran Hotel Bolívar Gran Hotel Maury Guadalupe College Hermitage of Barranco Hospital Civil de la Misericordia Hotel Crillón Immaculate Heart of Mary Church Monument Institute of Hygiene Interbank Building Javier Alzamora Valdez Building JW Marriott Hotel Lima La Atarjea La Colmena Building La Rosa Náutica Larcomar Teatro La Plaza Library of Congress Lima Civic Center Legislative Palace Lima Convention Center Lima Stock Exchange Building Luis Gálvez Chipoco Stadium Mesa Redonda Monumental Stadium Morro Solar War Monument Mosque of Lima National Geographic Institute National Library of Peru National Maternal Perinatal Institute National Stadium of Peru Palacio de la Exposición Palacio de Miraflores Palacio Municipal Palace of Justice Pan-American Athletes' Village Petroperú Building Public Ministry of Peru Quinta Heeren Quinta Leuro Quinta Presa Rospigliosi Castle Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus Church Sheraton Lima Historic Center Sinagoga 1870 Sinagoga Sharón The Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Center Torre Banco de la Nación Museums and theatres Aeronautical Museum Bodega y Quadra Museum Canout Theatre Casa Grau Naval Museum Combatants of the Morro de Arica Museum DIRCOTE Museum Gold Museum of Peru and Arms of the World Gran Teatro Nacional José Carlos Mariátegui Museum Larco Museum Lima Art Museum Metropolitan Museum Morro Solar Planetarium Municipal Theatre Museum Museum of Congress and the Inquisition Museum of Contemporary Art Museum of the Brain Museum of the Central Reserve Bank of Peru Museum of Elections and Democracy Museum of Italian Art Museum of Natural History National Afro-Peruvian Museum National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History National Museum National Museum of Peruvian Culture Naval Museum Pinacotheca of Lima Teatro Colón Teatro Municipal Teatro Peruano Japonés Teatro Segura Squares and promenades Cinco esquinas Jirón de la Unión Pasaje Olaya Monument Pasaje Santa Rosa Pizarro statue Stone of Taulichusco Paseo de los Héroes Navales Las llamas La yunta Paseo Colón Columbus Statue Pizza Blvd. Plaza de la Bandera Plaza Bolívar Plaza Bolognesi Plaza de la Democracia Plaza Dos de Mayo Plaza Francia Statue of Liberty Plaza Grau Monument Plaza Italia Plaza José Faustino Sánchez Carrión Plaza Manco Cápac Monument Plaza Mayor Fountain Plaza Perú Plaza Ramón Castilla Monument Plaza San Martín Lamp of the Three Graces Plazuela de las Artes Plazuela del Teatro Monument Parks and zoos Alameda Chabuca Granda Alameda de los Descalzos Museum Bridge of Sighs Campo de Marte Monument Costa Verde Pan-American Complex El Olivar Friendship Park Cultural Centre Museum Heroes of Independence Park Huachipa Zoo Lima Golf Club Malecón de Miraflores Love Park Villena Bridge Medicinal Botanical Garden Kennedy Park Lachay National Reserve Pantanos de Villa Wildlife Refuge Parque de la Exposición Fountain Parque de La Muralla Parque de la Reserva Parque de las Leyendas Paseo de Aguas Plazuela Chabuca Granda Monument Reducto № 2 Museum Reducto № 5 University Park Clock Education Antonio Ruiz de Montoya University Cayetano Heredia University Federico Villarreal National University National Superior Autonomous School of Fine Arts Cultural Centre National University of Engineering National University of San Marcos Officers' School of the National Police of Peru Peruvian University of Applied Sciences Pontifical Catholic University of Peru Raúl Porras Barrenechea Institute Ricardo Palma University Technological University of Peru University of Engineering and Technology Campus University of Lima Health Archbishop Loayza National Hospital Central Military Hospital Dos de Mayo National Hospital Edgardo Rebagliati Martins National Hospital National Institute of Child Health National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases San Bartolomé National Hospital Víctor Larco Herrera Hospital Nearby areas with beaches Ancón Callao Base Port Chancay Port Chorrillos La Herradura Miraflores La Pampilla Pucusana Former Banco Comercial Barranco Lake Barranco Zoo Cabildo of Lima Casa Alcántara Casa Marcionelli Casa Oechsle Casa Tenaud Church of Our Lady of the Forsaken Church of Saint Mary of Charity Cine Tauro El Sexto Prison Gate of Lima Giacoletti Building Great Clock of Lima Hipódromo de San Felipe Hipódromo de Santa Beatriz Lima Penitentiary Limatambo Airport Limatambo Building Marsano Palace Moorish Arch Museo de la Nación National Stadium San Jorge Prison San Martín barracks Venetian Palace Saint Paul's College Viceregal Palace

v t e National libraries of South America Sovereign states Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela Dependencies and other territories Falkland Islands French Guiana South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF FAST National United States France BnF data Czech Republic Spain Argentina Poland Israel Catalonia Artists ULAN People LibraryThing Other IdRef SNAC Yale LUX

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [National Library of Peru](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Library_of_Peru) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Library_of_Peru?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.