Cuba’s National Library Reopens

HAVANA TIMES — The Jose Marti National Library reopened its doors on Monday in Havana, after a remodeling that cost more than a million euros in Spanish assistance, reported EFE.

In that work, the priorities included the fire prevention, detection and suppression systems; the reconstruction and polishing all the marble surfaces, the rehabilitation of the plumbing network and the removal of architectural barriers for people with disabilities.

The director of the institution, Eduardo Torres Cuevas, stressed that the funds represented “one of the most extensive renovations,” and took place over three years. He added that it was an intense and complex job.

The second phase will focus on “digitizing everything that is possible to scan,” a process that Torres Cuevas estimates “won’t be brief.”

The historian spoke of the library as “representing five centuries of culture and patrimonial heritage assembled in four million publications of Cuban and Spanish periodicals, newspapers, photos, music, maps and other materials.”