In October, the General Library of the University of Coimbra (BGUC) will organize the colloquium “Iconic Libraries in the History of Humanity”, in which several international institutions will meet.
The colloquium, which will take place on October 27 and 28, will include the participation of “several libraries that have a special watermark for their history and the role they played,” said the director of BGUC, João Gouveia Monteiro, in a press conference.
The Library of Trinity College, Dublin (Ireland), “one of the richest and most beautiful libraries in the Anglo-Saxon world”, the library of the Monastery of Saint Gall, Switzerland, the Library of Alexandria, Egypt, the Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading, in Brazil, and the General Historical Library of the University of Salamanca, Spain, with an “exceptionally rich history”, are the institutions that will be present at the event.
The closing session of the event, with the theme “A Universal Library”, will be in charge of the Argentine writer Alberto Manguel, “one of the most respected and experienced bibliophiles” today, and who is preparing the future Center for the Study of History of Reading in Lisbon, highlighted the director of BGUC.
During the press conference, João Gouveia Monteiro also highlighted a cycle of meetings that the library will promote in 2023, in which it seeks to anticipate the 50th anniversary celebrations of April 25, reflecting on what has changed in the country in the last five decades.
Demography, citizenship, youth, mental health or aging will be some of the topics that will be discussed at the meetings.
Between November 7 and 10, the library promotes a program that crosses religion and gastronomy, with gatherings and gastronomic tastings.
Film screenings, exhibitions, visits and gatherings are other proposals of the BGUC until the end of the year.
According to João Gouveia Monteiro, the library should end 2022 with 60 cultural initiatives.
The institution aims to “offer the city a solid cultural program.”
During the press conference, João Gouveia Monteiro also addressed the need to reclassify the General Library, specifically in its coverage, mentioning that, “when there are violent loads of water, there is a tendency for there to be infiltrations” in the building, being necessary to protect the most protected areas exposed.
Source: Observadora
