Municipal Library interrupts activities for transfer of collection

The collection will be transferred to its official building, at Rua Monsenhor Coutinho, Centro, which should be reinaugurated by the City Hall in April this year

The Manaus City Hall informs that the Municipal Library João Bosco Pantoja Evangelistawhich was temporarily operating at Rua Costa Azevedo, in the Largo de São Sebastião, Center, will interrupt its operation so that the collection is transferred to its official building on Rua Monsenhor Coutinho, which should be re-inaugurated by the City Hall in April this year. The activities have been suspended as of this Thursday, February 20th.

Approximately 32 thousand titles occupy the vast collection of the Municipal Public Library, including newspapers and magazines, and special documents, such as rare works from the 17th century. The building was closed for renovation in August 2011 and its collection was temporarily housed in the Casa do Restauro, on Costa Azevedo Street. The library is linked to the Municipal Foundation of Culture, Tourism and Events (Manauscult) and is part of the National Library System.

Located on the corner of Rua Monsenhor Coutinho, the original building makes up an important architectural complex of the Historic Center of Manaus. The works rescue architectural features of the building, which was adapted to the modern air of the 21st century, including a projection room, a collection area in Braille, a café box to serve customers, and specific accessibility items, such as elevator, tactile floor, and bathrooms for people with special needs.

History

Dating from the early 20th century, the building is an old house with eclectic architectural features, when Manaus experienced the heyday of the rubber cycle. The structure was once home to the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, an institution founded in 1898 and the first in the world dedicated to research and teaching in tropical medicine hosted institutions.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, it was home to a popular snack bar and bar, the Pinguim. In 1995, the building was expropriated by the Manaus City Hall.

The Municipal Public Library had its first location on Joaquim Nabuco Avenue, moving to Monsenhor Coutinho Street in 1997. The space is named after the teacher, writer, and poet João Bosco Evangelista (1938-1973), who was one of the famous founders of the Clube da Madrugada.

With information from the press