Neighborhood libraries are part of the Bucharest landscape, being a proof of the fact that the Romanians did not completely alienate themselves from the book. From the desire to feel the pulse of these places, we also started looking for the neighborhood libraries on the most remote streets of the city. We did an exact route, limiting ourselves to a few neighborhoods in District 6.
„Nichita Stănescu” Library
Right next to the foot of Grant Bridge, on Crangasi Street, at number 19, we discovered, on the ground floor of a block, the “Nichita Stanescu” Library. Like all neighborhood libraries in the city, this institution is part of the network of the Metropolitan Library of Bucharest.
Although the area occupied is quite small (109 square meters), the library has a multifunctional reading room with a capacity of eight places. It also makes available to the public more than 41,000 documents from all fields.
„George Topîrceanu” Library
We continued our route and found that the branches in District 6 of the Metropolitan Library of Bucharest are strung like beads along the route followed by tram 41.
If you are going to get off the tram at Uverturii Boulevard station, you only have to walk ten minutes on this boulevard to Veterans Street to find the “George Topîrceanu” Library. The institution is behind the market, on Boulevard station, you only have to walk ten minutes on this boulevard to Veterans Street, No. 7-9.
Slightly smaller than her sister on Crangasi Way, the “George Topîrceanu” Library has an area of 76 square meters and a collection of over 10,000 documents. At the time we visited the place, the secondary school children who had finished their classes came to the library. In the intimate space of the institution there is a place where the little ones can do their lessons quietly. They also have access to different sources of information that can help them.
„Nicolae Labiș” Library
We get into the tram 41 again, we go only one station, and at the intersection with Timișoara Boulevard we find on Brașov Street, Nr. 14, the „Nicolae Labiș” Library. In front of the building that houses the library, there is a small park where chess boards are arranged. The place is perfect for both children and adults.
With an area of 108 square meters, the “Nicolae Labiș” Library has a multifunctional room in which the public has free access to bookshelves. It is also equipped with the necessary apparatus to carry out cultural, educational and social programs.
The collection of this institution consists of over 13,000 documents.
„Mihai Eminescu” Library
The “Mihai Eminescu” Library also operates in District 6. You can find it on Valea Prahova Alley, at number 3.
With a total area of 106 square meters, the library offers two computers, as well as a multifunctional room. The public accessing the services of this institution can choose from a collection of over 16,000 documents, consisting of books, dictionaries, encyclopedias, phrase books etc.
Also in District 6 is “Gheorghe Lazăr” Library, only that during this period the institution is in reorganization.
About the Metropolitan Library of Bucharest
As we have already mentioned, all these neighborhood libraries are actually branches of the Metropolitan Library of Bucharest (B.M.B.), a network of public libraries that is subordinated to the City Hall of Bucharest.
B.M.B. has a collection of 1,077,328 bibliographic units. Here, the public in Bucharest can find both books and sound or video recordings. Moreover, the Bucharest institution reopened last year for the book and art lovers, the Media Library and the Art Library. They work alongside the Sound Library in Mihai Bravu Road, No. 4.
The library includes over 20,000 library documents. The media library addresses, in particular, the music lovers, who are awaited with books, albums, CDs, DVDs, video and audio cassettes, with artistic productions made over the years both in the country and abroad.
Regarding the Art Library, it should be mentioned that it is a space for the public who loves visual arts.
In its turn, the Sound Library is a space with an informational background adapted to the needs of people with visual impairments.
