55 Years of History and Culture

Jovellanos – The José Martí Municipal Library celebrated its 55th anniversary yesterday, and its staff celebrated the occasion with the energy of those who know their work transcends generations. The institution, located at 13th Street No. 1822, occupies what was once the residence of the municipality’s last mayor, Manuel Rubio Baro — a building that over time would leave behind its political past to become a temple of knowledge.

Efforts to have a public library in Jovellanos went back a long way. Since 1920, a modest reading room operated at the Unión y Confianza Lodge, and between 1944 and 1948, books circulated on a transport that reached the Apollo Theater. But that effort faded, and the idea of a stable library was forgotten. It was not until after the Triumph of the Revolution that the municipal government took up the project with determination, rescuing the old mayor’s building and transforming it into the cultural center that opened its doors on July 20, 1971, with 2,666 volumes on its shelves and three rooms in operation.

Over the years, the library grew in services and reach. Marta Elvira Vitier Byrne, who took over as director in 1973, gave it a renewed rhythm: she created a newspaper archive, organized documentary collections, and extended the institution’s reach beyond its headquarters. Between 1977 and 1978, branches were established at the Jaime López, Yaguajay, and Granma sugar mills, all inaugurated on January 28, 1979. The Library Extension Department was also born then, bringing reading to rural schools, penitentiary centers, and factories, making culture a right within everyone’s reach.

By 1989, growth was such that a separate space had to be set up for the Children-Youth Department, a sign that new generations were claiming their space. Since then, the library has not stopped moving: literary workshops, poetry nights, Martí-themed evenings, and bibliographic exhibitions fill its calendar, while its staff continue weaving the reading promotion network that characterizes the center.

Today, at 55 years old, the José Martí Library is much more than a book repository. It is a community meeting point, a cultural beacon in the municipality, and a living testament that when government and community work together, culture takes deep roots. Its staff, the artisans of each day, are the guarantee that this story will continue to be written page by page.