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| Biblioteca Nacional (Brazil) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Biblioteca Nacional |
| Native name | Biblioteca Nacional do Brasil |
| Country | Brazil |
| Location | Rio de Janeiro |
| Established | 1810 |
| Collection size | over 9 million items |
Biblioteca Nacional (Brazil) is Brazil's national library and one of the world's largest libraries by collection size, located in Rio de Janeiro. Founded in the early 19th century after the transfer of the Portuguese court to Rio de Janeiro during the Peninsular War, the institution became a central repository for Brazilian and Portuguese-language patrimony. Its holdings span manuscripts, newspapers, maps, music, prints, and rare books that document the histories of Portugal, Brazil, Americas, and the Lusophone world.
The library traces origins to the royal collection relocated from Lisbon when members of the House of Braganza and the Portuguese royal family fled the Napoleonic Wars and established the court in Rio de Janeiro in 1808. In 1810 Emperor John VI of Portugal formalized the institution during a period shaped by the Congress of Vienna and the shifting political landscape of the Ibero-American independence movements. After Brazil declared independence in 1822 under Pedro I of Brazil, the library's role expanded amid nation-building and cultural consolidation tied to the Empire of Brazil. During the Republic of Brazil era, the library weathered events such as the Proclamation of the Republic (1889), the Vargas Era, and the capital transfer to Brasília while accumulating legal deposit materials under statutes influenced by international models like the British Museum and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
The library's collections include rare codices linked to explorers of the Age of Discovery, maps referencing the Treaty of Tordesillas, and manuscripts associated with figures such as Machado de Assis, Castro Alves, Joaquim Nabuco, and Candido Portinari. Holdings feature the personal archives of writers like Machado de Assis and composers like Heitor Villa-Lobos, alongside periodicals such as copies of O Estado de S. Paulo and Jornal do Brasil. The music collection includes scores tied to Carlos Gomes and documents connected to Modinha and Samba traditions; cartographic materials recall voyages by Pedro Álvares Cabral and colonial administration under the Treaty of Madrid (1750). Photographs and prints capture events like the Proclamation of the Republic (1889), the World Cup preparations, and urban transformations in Rio de Janeiro. Legal deposit under Brazilian law has expanded holdings to include contemporary publications from publishers such as Editora Abril and academic outputs from institutions like the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.
The library occupies an imposing building in Centro, Rio de Janeiro constructed in the early 20th century, influenced by Beaux-Arts and neoclassical trends seen in contemporaneous structures like the Palácio Tiradentes and the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes. Architects and planners referenced models from the Palais Garnier and public edifices in Paris and Lisbon. Interior spaces include grand reading rooms reminiscent of the Bibliothèque nationale de France's Salle Labrouste and decorative elements that echo the décor of the National Library of Portugal. The site has undergone renovations tied to heritage programs overseen by bodies such as the Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional and municipal preservation laws associated with Rio de Janeiro's historic center.
The library provides reading rooms, special collections access, interlibrary loan services modeled after practices at the Library of Congress and cataloging systems aligned with international standards like the Dewey Decimal Classification and professional practices promoted by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Facilities include conservation laboratories, audiovisual rooms used for screenings related to the Cineclube tradition, exhibition halls hosting displays on figures such as Ayrton Senna or Getúlio Vargas, and educational spaces for outreach with schools run by local secretariats like the Secretaria Municipal de Educação do Rio de Janeiro. Public programs often intersect with festivals like Bienal do Livro and cultural projects tied to organizations including the Fundação Biblioteca Nacional.
Administration has historically involved figures from Brazil’s cultural elite and bureaucracies linked to ministries such as the Ministry of Culture and institutions like the Instituto Brasileiro de Informação em Ciência e Tecnologia. Oversight has adapted through legislative frameworks including national copyright statutes and legal deposit regulations enacted by the National Congress of Brazil and executive decrees under presidents including Getúlio Vargas and later administrations. Partnerships extend to international agencies such as UNESCO, bilateral exchanges with the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and cooperative projects with university libraries like those at the Universidade de São Paulo.
The library has played a role in shaping Brazilian literary canons linked to authors like Jorge Amado, Clarice Lispector, and Carlos Drummond de Andrade, and in curating exhibitions on artists such as Tarsila do Amaral and Candido Portinari. Its programs include lectures, symposia, and competitions aligned with commemorations for figures like Machado de Assis and anniversaries of events such as Independence of Brazil. Collaborations with film festivals, music conservatories including the Conservatório Brasileiro de Música, and cultural institutions like the Museu de Arte do Rio amplify its public engagement. The library's curatorial work informs scholarship in fields represented by archives at institutions like the Fundação Getulio Vargas and informs national inventories overseen with the Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional.
Access policies balance public reading-room privileges with preservation mandates for fragile items such as 16th-century atlases and colonial notarial records linked to the Casa da Índia archives. Conservation efforts use climate control and treatments informed by international standards from bodies like the International Council on Archives and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Digitization projects have digitized newspapers, rare manuscripts, and sound recordings in collaboration with platforms supported by UNESCO and national research agencies such as the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior. Digital collections aim to make materials available to researchers at institutions like the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and to diaspora communities linked to Portugal, Angola, and Mozambique.
Category:Libraries in Brazil Category:Buildings and structures in Rio de Janeiro Category:National libraries