Library

The creation of the bibliographic and documentary collection began to take shape in 1964 with the acquisition of the library of the bibliophile Antonio Odriozola, made up of monographs from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Shortly afterwards, the library of Deogracias Estavillo was acquired, with works from the 19th and 20th centuries.

From this point onwards, the collection has been increased by acquisitions and donations that have resulted in the formation of one of the richest and most complete Basque documentary collections, with thousands of manuscripts and printed works, from the 15th century onwards, which have been digitised to guarantee their conservation and facilitate consultation.

Access to catalogue

This collection accounts for more than 80% of the total number of monographs in the library. It is made up of works ranging from the first editions of the great novelists of ‘98 to the great publishing explosion that took place from the 1980s onwards.

Also present are history, social and political changes, ideologies, beliefs and thought, philosophy, law, gastronomy, art, sculpture, cinema, the media, and a long etc. that complete and make up the wide range through which the Basque cultural panorama develops.

Emblematic magazines of Basque culture, with special mention to those of Vitoria and Alava (‘VITAL’ collection), economic and activity reports of all kinds of companies and institutions, current and historical press, as well as an original collection of fanzines.

Articles from Basque (SV) and non-Basque magazines on Basque subjects (SNV). In order to facilitate the search for articles, two processes are carried out: on the one hand, the analytical emptying of the main magazines, and on the other hand, the digitalisation of the summaries and texts in a project that associates the bibliographic description with the images.

Historical Basque, and Vitoria and Alava press, a collection that integrates the collection of documentary heritage considered to be historical. This collection is completed with the collection of modern press digitised for the purposes of preservation and access to research on Basque culture.

The special collections are unique compilations of modern documentation, in heterogeneous formats, on subjects of interest for the study of Basque intrahistory:

• Children's: a unique collection of children's and young people's literature in Basque or on Basque themes and/or by Basque authors, with works from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
• Fanzines: more than 6000 fanzine-type documents, alternative press and other underground publications.
• Comics: collection of comic publications in Basque or Basque-themed and/or authored by Basque authors and/or themes.
• Stickers: partially digitised collection of sticker-type graphic material on social movements (feminism, Basque, ecology, trade unions, politics, etc).
• Posters: partially digitised collection of more than 10,000 posters on various subjects such as music, bullfighting, social movements during the Transition, etc.
• Dossiers: original documentary dossiers on subjects such as political parties or social and cultural movements, or documentary formats such as leaflets, bills, etc.
• Festival programmes, calendars, etc.