A year ago today that the Dénia Library began operating in the renovated building on calle Sant Josep number 6. The library was moved from the House of Culture, and had previously had another location. On the occasion of this first anniversary, we review the birth of the library, how it was created and which buildings it has passed through.
All historical documentation of the creation process is contained in a 1956 file deposited with the Municipal Arxiu.
En April 1955 Dénia City Council allocated 5000 pesetas (about 30 euros) from the municipal budget to the creation of the library. You can see it in more detail in this document:
The first location of the Dénia Library
In the City Hall building itself there was a place that met the requirements to become a library, as certified by the then municipal rigger, Juan Martínez Carda: "In the same building of the City Hall and on its first floor, there is a premises which is accompanied by a 1:50 scale map with an indication of orientation and situation within the urban center, which I estimate can be used as a library since in terms of its lighting, cubication, ventilation and access, complies with the ordinances. "
The 1955 documentation reflects the guidelines that the National Reading Service gave the City Council to establish the bases of the library. He advised in terms of operation and also in terms of responsible personnel. At the end of that year, specifically in November of 1955, the City Council had an answer from the General Directorate of Archives and Libraries of the then Ministry of National Education. The document gave the green light to the creation of the Municipal Public Library of Dénia:
And the January 6, 1956 it became official, with the publication in the Official State Gazette. To fill their shelves, there was an amount allocated in the regular budget of the City Council, the National Reading Service contributed new volumes every year, and there were also contributions from individuals.
The Library in the House of Culture
The Library moved to the House of Culture in 1975. In 1978, according to the newspaper Information, books and furniture worth 100.000 pesetas arrived in the first part, and 250.000 pesetas in another remittance, which just consolidated the funds . The library has occupied the space of the second floor of the House of Culture for 44 years until its move to San José Street in February 2019, current headquarters of the Municipal Library of Dénia.
