A book discovers who was who in the Escola de Bibliotecàries (School of Librarians)
On Thursday October 27, at 18 h, the sala dʼactes (events room) of the Faculty of Library and Information Science will hold the book presentation of Qui era qui a lʼEscola de Bibliotecàries. Notícies biogràfiques del professorat (1915-1972), by Assumpció Estivill Rius. The book collects biographies of people that helped creating one of the most representative institutions in the cultural work of Mancomunitat, which is still intact. The event will start with the award ceremony for the 4th Research Prize of Batxillerat (upper secondary school education) in the field of Information and Documentation, called by the Faculty of Library and Information Science and the Official School of Librarian-Documentalists of Catalonia.
On Thursday October 27, at 18 h, the sala dʼactes (events room) of the Faculty of Library and Information Science will hold the book presentation of Qui era qui a lʼEscola de Bibliotecàries. Notícies biogràfiques del professorat (1915-1972), by Assumpció Estivill Rius. The book collects biographies of people that helped creating one of the most representative institutions in the cultural work of Mancomunitat, which is still intact. The event will start with the award ceremony for the 4th Research Prize of Batxillerat (upper secondary school education) in the field of Information and Documentation, called by the Faculty of Library and Information Science and the Official School of Librarian-Documentalists of Catalonia.
Qui era qui a lʼEscola de Bibliotecàries. Notícies biogràfiques del professorat (1915-1972), which collects biographical data from the teaching staff at the School of Librarians and a photography exhibition, it comes from an errand that the Faculty of Library and Information Science asked for to the author in the scheduled activities to commemorate the centenary of the institution and the Projecte de Biblioteques Populars de la Mancomunitat, created by Eugeni dʼOrs in 1915.
The book, that documents the teaching staff from almost sixty years of history of this School, gives an idea of the evolution of the institution -glorious periods and periods that werenʼt that successful- and it allows to reflect on the important role this job had and still has in terms of knowledge and its transfer. On the other hand, Assumpció Estivill wants to contribute to explain some of the common places they thought of for the past times of the school and to correct some visions that were too simplifying. The great number of photographs gives life to the biographical writings that create this work.
In the first chapter, the book talks about the directors of the institution and then dedicates four chapters to the big periods that marked the evolution of the School and its historical context. Therefore the text can be read in a linear way -starting from the general introduction and going on with the introductory studies for several periods- to get a global vision of the subject, but it also allows a shuttle reading more like a biographic dictionary -looking up the specific professor. The book has given a notable historical research work in archive and other sources in order to document several biographic profiles.
The monograph covers the periods from 1915 to 1972, when the School was not university-like yet and didnʼt cover any research. The step from School of Librarians to having university activity didnʼt occur until 1978, when the courses were recognized as university studies. From that moment on, the School was affiliated to the University of Barcelona (1982), it approved its first university study plan (1982), it was integrated to the University of Barcelona (1997), programmed studies for second cycle courses (1999 with the degree in Documentation) and finally did the same with doctoral studies (2000).
Launching the School of Librarians meant a qualified professional exit for women when there were few job opportunities out of factories or housework. In addition, the fact that, both during the first years and the Generalitat period, the most distinguished intellectuals gave lessons -helped to surround the school with a prestigious feeling which left a mark in a great part of the profession.
Assumpció Estivill Rius (Reus, 1949) studied Philosophy and Arts at the University of Barcelona and librarian studies at the old School of Librarians of Barcelona provincial government (Diputació de Barcelona), to start her career at the Reserva Impresa of the Library of Catalonia. Afterwards, she started teaching in that school, which would become the Faculty of Library and Information Science. She was a lecturer of the school with a complete university profile and vocation and interest in research. She studied doctoral studies in the United States where she also presented her thesis, entitled LʼEscola de les Bibliotecàries, 1915-1939 (School of Librarians), Barcelona, 1992 and since then she has combined research on technical subjects, such as the cataloguing library material, organizing e-resources and the process automation, with the study of history of the profession and public Catalan libraries.