Central Municipal Library of Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Cultural spaces · Subcategory: Libraries and archives · Year: 1888

Since 1844 the City Council of Santa Cruz attempted to establish a public library in the premises of the former Franciscan convent, but economic difficulties prevented the idea from being realised. Several decades would pass before the city could have its first proper public library.  

The antecedents of the Municipal Library are found in the collection of more than 2,400 volumes belonging to the Sociedad de Amigos del País, which years later was increased with the funds from the Gabinete Instructivo. From this fusion the library attached to the Instituto de Segunda Enseñanza was born in 1879. Its first librarian was Ireneo González.

In 1881 it was determined that this library should have municipal status. After managing to gather a series of contributions from both entities and individuals, finally, the Municipal Library of Santa Cruz de Tenerife was inaugurated on 2 April 1888 in the premises of the former convent of San Francisco. At that first moment, it had a total of 6,325 volumes, about 300 of them on Canarian topics. Its first librarian was Francisco de León.

The growth of the Municipal Library has been slow but steady over the years. After the end of the Civil War, the Library was installed in the multi-purpose building (headquarters of the former Audiencia, the Museo de Bellas Artes and the Casa de Socorro) built on the same site it had occupied in previous years, with access from Jose Murphy street. It remained there until 2008, when it was moved to the modern building of the TEA (Tenerife Espacio de las Artes), where it continues to provide its services to the citizens of Santa Cruz.

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