With the inauguration of the photographic exhibition “La Biblioteca cuenta su historia” (The Library tells its story), the main institution of this type in the province of Las Tunas began a program of celebrations in order to mark the 70th anniversary of its foundation on January 28.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- The exhibition, made up of 70 snapshots, takes a journey through the history of the center, which, when founded on the day that marks the birth of the Apostle José Martí, National Hero of Cuba, in 1951, remained established as the José Martí provincial library, expressed to the Cuban News Agency, Carmen Velázquez Quintana, its director.
The photographic itinerary includes the moment of the inauguration, when José Ávila Reyes, president of the City Council; Dr. Pedro Verdecie, first director of the institution, and Mayor José Hernández Cruz, who delivered the opening remarks, were present.
The news spread as one of the most important events in the territory and was published in the independent information and literature newspaper El Eco de Tunas on January 31, 1951; a fact of which we have evidence thanks to the recent donation of a descendant of Rafael Zayas, director of the publication that circulated during the mediated republic.
Velázquez Quintana explained that the program, although simple due to the limitations caused by the COVID-19, will feature two more exhibitions, "Embotellamiento Príncipe" (Price Bottleneck) and "Martí por siempre" (Martí forever), as well as the central activity for the anniversary on the 28th, named "Recordar es volver a vivir" (Remember is to live again).
The 70 years of dedication to the people of Las Tunas cannot be overlooked, especially because beyond the work in the library we have become one of the most important socio-cultural institutions in the province, with remarkable results during these seven decades, the specialist stressed.
Among the achievements, the recent creation of a management system that allowed the digitization of about 30 thousand catalogs stands out, a computer platform with which it is at the forefront within the National System of Public Libraries, and all the library procedures are optimized, from the technical processing of the book to the provision of services.
