National Library of Cape Verde

National Library of Cape Verde
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Name	National Library of Cape Verde
Native name	Biblioteca Nacional de Cabo Verde
Country	Cape Verde
Established	1994
Location	Praia
Collection size	est. 100,000+
Director	(varies)

National Library of Cape Verde is the principal national repository and bibliographic agency for Cape Verde located in Praia. It functions as a central node for cultural heritage in the archipelago, interacting with institutions such as the Museu Etnográfico da Praia, Universidade de Cabo Verde, Instituto Nacional de Cultura, Biblioteca Pública Municipal de Santa Maria, and international partners like the Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Library of Congress, UNESCO, and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. The institution supports research on figures and topics including Amílcar Cabral, Cesária Évora, Pedro Pires, Germano Almeida, and the Creole (Cape Verdean Creole) language.

History

The library was created amid post-independence cultural consolidation alongside bodies such as the Assembleia Nacional de Cabo Verde and the Ministério da Cultura e Indústria Criativa after independence movements linked to groups like the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde. Its foundation drew on archival practices established by the Arquivo Histórico Nacional de Cabo Verde and precedents set by the Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal and colonial-era repositories in Lisbon and Mindelo. The institution developed programs in collaboration with UNESCO, the International Council on Archives, the European Union cultural initiatives, and bilateral exchanges with the Instituto Camões, the Biblioteca Nacional de Brasil, and the Biblioteca Nacional de Angola. Major milestones include establishment of legal deposit legislation, digitization projects inspired by the World Digital Library, and conservation campaigns following models from the National Library of Scotland and the British Library.

Collections and Holdings

Holdings encompass monographs, periodicals, newspapers, maps, manuscripts, sound recordings, and visual materials documenting personalities and events like Cesária Évora recordings, writings by Baltasar Lopes da Silva, manuscripts by Orlanda Amarílis, and political documents associated with Amílcar Cabral and the PAIGC. The collection includes Cape Verdean titles in Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole, and works by diaspora figures connected to Boston, Lisbon, Paris, and Mindelo. Specialized collections feature newspapers such as earlier runs comparable to the A Semana and archival holdings similar to those preserved by the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino. International exchanges brought materials from the Biblioteca Nacional de España, the Biblioteca Nacional de México, and the Biblioteca Nacional de Chile. The library preserves cartographic items related to the Atlantic Ocean routes, maritime logs referencing Portuguese Empire voyages, and legal deposit items registered under national statutes comparable to laws in Mozambique and Angola.

Services and Programs

The library provides reference services, interlibrary loan networks linked with the Universidade de Cabo Verde libraries, digitization and online access inspired by the Digital Public Library of America, outreach programs with the Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional, literacy campaigns aligned with initiatives by the UNICEF and World Bank, and cultural events coordinated with the Museu Nacional de Cabo Verde and local municipal libraries in São Vicente, Sal, and Santiago. Professional development for staff leverages training opportunities from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, the African Library and Information Associations and Institutions, and partnerships with the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Brasília and the University of Lisbon Faculty of Letters. Programs host seminars on Cape Verdean literature featuring authors like Germano Almeida, Orlando Ribeiro, Armando Napoleão Rodrigues Fernandes, and poets linked to the Claridade movement.

Architecture and Facilities

The building in Praia combines functional reading rooms, archival stacks, a conservation laboratory, digitization studios, and exhibition space similar in layout to regional national libraries such as the Biblioteca Nacional de Cabo Verde (historic) models influenced by the Portuguese colonial architecture and contemporary interventions akin to renovations seen at the Cidade Velha restoration projects. Facilities support acoustic archives for singers such as Cesária Évora and studios for oral history projects documenting migrants to cities like Boston and Lisbon. Climate control systems follow guidance from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions and the International Council on Monuments and Sites to preserve paper, photographic, and audiovisual materials.

Administration and Governance

Administration is conducted under national cultural authorities including the Ministério da Cultura e Indústria Criativa and in coordination with statutory bodies like the Assembleia Nacional de Cabo Verde. The library operates within frameworks comparable to legal deposit administrations in the Portuguese-speaking world and coordinates with academic institutions such as the Universidade de Cabo Verde and municipal councils in Praia and Mindelo. Leadership has engaged with international agencies including UNESCO, the European Union, the African Union, and bilateral partners like the Embassy of Portugal in Cape Verde for policy, funding, and technical cooperation.

Legal Deposit and Preservation

Legal deposit obligations require publishers in Cape Verde to submit copies to the national repository under statutes modeled after systems in Portugal and Brazil. Preservation strategies include microfilming, digitization, migration to repositories inspired by the World Digital Library and standards promoted by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions and the Digital Preservation Coalition. Conservation initiatives have targeted fragile periodicals, colonial-era manuscripts, and sound collections of artists such as Cesária Évora and have sought technical assistance from institutions like the British Library and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Category:Libraries in Cape Verde Category:National libraries