Exploring the Jalisco Public Library: Guadalajara’s best-kept secret
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- Published on Friday, 05 July 2013 16:07
- Written by Michael Forbes
Jalisco’s Juan José Arreola Public Library is located on the northern Periférico (Ring Road) very near the Telmex Auditorium. This library literally has “something for everyone” and most of it is free of charge.
I have to admit I first became interested in visiting the place because of the building’s unusual and controversial architecture, designed by Gonzalez Gortázar Arquitectos. Of course, the first thing I wanted to find out was when the library opens and closes and then, how many documents and permissions I would need to take photos inside its walls.
So I called information (040) and was told that they have no record of the Jalisco Public Library. “But it’s Mexico’s second largest library and it cost 570 million pesos,” I told the operator. She replied, “I’m sure it exists, sir, but we’ve never heard of it.”
Naturally, I turned to Google and quickly found two telephone numbers, but every time I dialed them, I got this curious message: “(blank) is in a meeting. (blank)’s voicebox is full. If you know the extension you want, dial it now.”
This was a rather inauspicious beginning, but after trying 9 or 10 extensions, I finally got through to Aditi Ruiz, coordinator of Cultural Dissemination and Communication, who kindly offered to take me on a tour of the library the next day.
As for the list of requirements for taking a photo, she said, “You are free to take all the photos you want –and so is anyone who walks in the door. This really is a PUBLIC library.” (Because the library is administered by the Universidad de Guadalajara, some people might mistakenly believe users need an UdG card to get in.)
Before starting my tour, I learned that the Biblioteca is divided into two buildings, the Edificio Contemporáneo and the Edificio Histórico. You can stroll into the former without any sort of ID, but because the latter is full of venerable old documents which you must view wearing gloves and a face mask, you need certain kinds of identification, but nothing out of the ordinary.