The Library and Documentation Centre of the MNCARS is a specialised research centre that collects and preserves books and documentation on artists and artistic movements from 1881 to the present day. Despite the specific nature of this library and the uniqueness of its holdings, access to its collections is open not only to researchers, but also to the general public. Far from considering this situation as a threat, it was seen as an opportunity and was one of the reasons for the birth of Casi libros (Almost Books). Almost Books is the Library’s public programme and proposes an approach to its spaces, collections and services going beyond its nature as a centre for research into contemporary art. The programme, implemented since 2021, understands the Library as a reflective and participatory space, promoting links between visitors and its documentary and artistic collections. Its lines of action - some developed inside the Library, others outside its walls - are based on the book and the document as common central elements, generating different projects, such as: Outros libros, y eso (Other Books and So), a narrative and essay reading club; Aguja imantada (Magnetised Needle), a programme of visits to the documentary exhibitions of Space D and the Library’s facilities, Mirar de cerca (Look Closely), a user training programme based on the collections held by the centre, and Salirse del Margen (Leave the Margin), a series of guided tours of the museum collection based on readings of books and documents stored in the Library. The innovative and plural nature of this programme has been recognised externally (Consejo de Cooperación Bibliotecaria/Council for Library Cooperation Seal finalist project 2022). The experiences and the feedback gained during the development of this library outreach programme have enabled us to identify strengths and weaknesses that will be adressed in the coming years in order to make the Almost Books project more coherent, solid and cohesive in the future.
Alberto Medina Morales (Wed,) studied this question.