Eduard Toda, de bibliòfil i mecenes de biblioteques a mestre de bugada de papers

Figura 1. Retrat d'Eduard Toda publicat a El Día Gráfico (1933) (Biblioteca de Catalunya, ms. 4567-4569)

En el setanta-cinquè aniversari de la mort d’Eduard Toda, que va ser diplomàtic, egiptòleg, escriptor i historiador, que va redescobrir i divulgar l’alguerès, que va reconstruir i restaurar Escornalbou i Poblet, que va compilar bibliografies i va ser un bibliòfil i un mecenes exemplar, s’analitza en primer lloc aquest darrer aspecte de la seva activitat que va contribuir a enriquir les biblioteques i els arxius del país. A continuació es presenta la seva relació amb l’Escola de Bibliotecàries que es va iniciar gràcies al lligam que havia establert amb la Biblioteca de Catalunya amb les seves generoses donacions de materials bibliogràfics. A partir de la documentació conservada a l’arxiu de l’antiga Escola de Bibliotecàries, es mostren les distintes facetes d’aquella relació: les excursions a Escornalbou que es complementen amb tot un recorregut cultural, les estades de les alumnes a Poblet on col·laboren en l’organització de la biblioteca pobletana, la introducció de les classes de restauració en el pla d’estudis de la carrera, la posada en marxa d’un laboratori de restauració que, per moltes dècades, compartiran l’Escola i la Biblioteca de Catalunya, etc. Certament, els vincles de Toda amb l’Escola es van caracteritzar per un afecte mutu i algunes de les activitats que va promoure amb les alumnes van contribuir a donar a l’Escola aquell toc d’ — En el septuagésimo quinto aniversario de la muerte de Eduard Toda, que fue diplomático, egiptólogo, escritor e historiador, que redescubrió y divulgó el alguerés, que reconstruyó y restauró Escornalbou y Poblet, que compiló bibliografías y fue un bibliófilo y un mecenas ejemplar, se analiza, en primer lugar, este último aspecto de su actividad que contribuyó a enriquecer las bibliotecas y los archivos del país. A continuación se presenta su relación con la Escola de Bibliotecàries que se inició gracias al vínculo que había establecido con la Biblioteca de Catalunya con sus generosas donaciones de materiales bibliográficos. A partir de la documentación conservada en el archivo de la antigua Escola de Bibliotecàries, se muestran las distintas facetas de aquella relación: las excursiones a Escornalbou que se complementan con todo un recorrido cultural, las estancias de las alumnas en Poblet, donde colaboran en la organización de la biblioteca pobletana, la introducción de las clases de restauración en el plan de estudios de la carrera, la puesta en marcha de un laboratorio de restauración que, por muchas décadas, compartirán la Escola y la Biblioteca de Catalunya, etc. Los vínculos de Toda con la Escola se caracterizaron por un afecto mutuo y algunas de las actividades que promovió con las alumnas contribuyeron a darle aquel toque de — Diplomat, Egyptologist, writer and historian, Eduard Toda is remembered as the man who rescued the Algherese dialect of Catalan from oblivion and who helped rebuild the monastery libraries of Escornalbou and Poblet. On the occasion of the seventy-fifth anniversary of his death, this paper reviews Toda’s book collecting activities, his general love of books and his outstanding work as a benefactor of libraries, which together contributed to enriching our country’s book heritage. The paper then turns to Toda’s relationship with the school for librarians the Escola de Bibliotecàries, which was founded thanks to his donation of a number of book collections to the Library of Catalonia. As recorded in the archives of the old Escola, this relationship was based on a number of different activities: Toda’s trips to Escornalbou, which also provided an opportunity for cultural study; his organization of periods of residence for student librarians at Poblet to help rebuild the monastery’s library; his creation of classes in book restoration in degree courses in librarianship; and the creation of a workshop for restoring library materials, which for many decades helped to link the Escola and the Library of Catalonia. Finally, as the article shows, Toda’s ties with the Escola de Bibliotecàries were reinforced by the mutual affection existing between him and the school as well as by the activities he organized with its students, which gave the school its singular nature as a place of study during the 1930s.

Les biblioteques populars de Barcelona com a espais de socialització durant el segon franquisme, 1957-1975

Sala de lectura de la Biblioteca Mossèn Homar de l'Hospitalet (1963) (Anuario..., 1968, p. 248–249)

Objectius: analitzar com han evolucionat les activitats culturals de les biblioteques populars de la província de Barcelona en iniciar-se el període que va de 1959 a 1975, l’anomenat — Objectives: to analyse how the cultural activities of the popular libraries in the province of Barcelona evolved in the second period of Francoist Spain, that is between the years 1957 to 1975. This paper examines the type and nature of these activities; the interest they generated among the respective communities and the way in which the activities were adapted to a society that was undergoing profound changes; the importance of various social and cultural movements that emerged with particular strength in those years; the role played in them by Catalan language and culture; local alliances, and the extent to which these activities were guided by the authorities or responded to the initiative of the librarians.

Methodology: an exhaustive report and analysis were undertaken of the activities organised in each of the popular libraries of the Provincial Council of Barcelona between 1957 and 1975, as reported in the Anuario de la Biblioteca Central y de las populares y especiales. The study examines all the popular libraries and the stable branch libraries that had a person responsible for their running.

Results: it was during the sixties that the popular libraries were most active in promoting cultural activities. In general, they were well integrated within their respective communities and, thanks to the efforts of those responsible for their organisation, readers were able to follow closely the cultural movements that emerged in the capital: plays staged in the independent theatres, play readings, film forums, recitals of Nova Cançó promoting Catalan music etc. The libraries recovered their role as disseminators of culture, which they had had on being founded, and dedicated themselves once more to the task of promoting Catalan language and culture. Likewise, as in that earlier period, they once again became politically neutral spaces, but a neutrality that was characterised by its exclusive, non-integrative nature, which explains why they remained on the sidelines of certain social and political worries of the civil society of the day.