Every day, thousands of people admire, as they pass, its imposing brutalist architecture, a hallmark of the great Clorindo Testa; but they have no idea what their rooms offer. Hundreds visit it daily and, however, very few are also aware of the jewels it houses. Founded by Mariano Moreno in 1810, a hero from whom he would later inherit the name, the National Library It contains the most important literary collection in the country. Among its many rooms, one shines brightest: the “Paul Groussac” or “Treasure Room”, named in honor of its director for 44 years, with the enormous responsibility of caring for these especially valuable collections. The library of Manuel Belgrano, that of Leopoldo Lugones, that of Jorge Luis Borges; These are just some of the wonders that the institution preserves and safeguards, as heritage for the future.
The bases of a collection
It was not until the Library moved to the current headquarters on Agüero Street, that the Treasure Room was born. Formerly, in the building on Mexico Street (which operated from 1901 to 1992) there was a reserved room and different spaces segmented by themes, in the style of European libraries. Over time, much of the materials from these rooms became part of what we know today as the Treasure Room.
The original idea was to preserve the most important collections here, especially the founding ones of the Buenos Aires Public Library. The original fund comes from the contributions of the members of the revolutionary junta and other figures of Argentine culture of the period. Thus, in 1810 they incorporated the libraries of Bishop Manuel Azamor y Ramírez, which has more than 600 works of philosophy, theology, catechesis and canon law. Many have a handwritten signature on their cover and there are two incunabula (prints produced in the first printing press).
Another donation from that time was Luis José de Chorroarín, rector of the San Carlos School, which provided its own copies and also those of the institution. Works on philosophy, law, vocabularies and theological treatises make up this collection and led Chorroarín to be the first librarian of the National Library.
Manuel Belgrano He also donated his private copies on economics, agriculture, botany, history, literature and science, between 1810 and 1811. And the father of the country, Jose de San Martinjoins the Treasury list with its collection.
The big feathers
But the findings in this room do not only contemplate the founding history of the country. Books that are considered rare and valuable are also kept here. Also cataloged are old periodicals, modern books, manuscripts and prints, graphic materials (such as engravings and bookplates) and specimens linked to the world of art, as well as photographs. There are also objects such as coins, presidential bands, memoirs, diaries and bulletins. “We have everything from incunabula (texts printed in the 15th century) and newspapers from the May Revolution to works from the 20th century by Borges, Lugones and Pizarnik”, Natalia Tomasini, coordinator of the Room, proudly illustrates.
The Jorge Luis Borges Collection It was founded on the tracking and identification of copies used by the writer during the years in which he directed the Library. These interventions are based on his signature, handwritten notes on the endpapers of the books, corrections on copies and dedications.
In the case of Alejandra Pizarnik, 650 volumes from the poet’s personal library are preserved, profusely underlined and annotated. Additionally, in 2018, the writer’s sister donated a documentary archive that contains folders with personal papers, newspaper clippings, obituaries and even the application for the Guggenheim scholarship, which Pizarnik obtained in 1968.
The material of Leopoldo Lugones includes manuscripts and documentation purchased from his heirs. In this compendium there are essays, translations, poems, speeches, press clippings, correspondence, photographs and personal and professional documents.
Nor could the legacy of Adolfo Bioy Casares and Silvina Ocampo, which consists of more than 400 copies from their personal libraries, with handwritten annotations by both writers, reading marks, dedications, newspaper clippings and photos. There are even drawings made by Borges in some copies and annotations by Borges and Bioy in a work by James Joyce.
The unexpected
What are the rarest works? Tomasini mentions one of the incunabula that the Library has: a page from a Bible printed on the Gutenberg printing press, a symbol of the literate culture of the West. He also highlights the plan of the asylum and the list of insane people. “Hopscotch”, by Julio Cortázarand a copy of the “Vocabulary of the Guaraní language” from 1722.
The oldest book in the room is the one known as “chained.” “It is an original manuscript from the 14th century with wooden and leather covers that contains much of the philosophical work of the Frenchman Jean Buridan; he arrived here after it was seized Perón’s library in 1955”, explains the coordinator.
Other incunabula (the Library has 21) are a work of Saint Thomas of Aquino and the first prints produced by the River Plate printing presses, which were those brought by the Jesuits, in which the majority of works were carried out by clerics.
Also worth highlighting is the complete collection of the “Encyclopedia or reasoned dictionary of sciences, arts and crafts”, written by Denis Diderot and Le Rond d’Alembert.
Instructions for use
Access to the Room is free from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. If the interest is to consult materials, researchers must be accredited by the Library. To take care of this very special sector, you enter without backpacks or bags. Cell phones, cameras, notebooks and material for taking notes are allowed. The specimens must be handled with gloves and can only be photographed without a flash. “And if a copy is in digital and paper format, the digital one is offered for consultation,” Tomasini clarifies.
These spaces have controlled temperature and humidity for the special conservation of heritage. All care is little in a room that has three deposits with more than 30,000 copies, including books, magazines, newspapers, photographs and maps: documents that protect and attest to a primordial memory for Argentine identity.
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