The idea of creating a library in Borba appeared in the beginning of the 80s from the Cultural Centre of Borba Direction at the time which, having a small library in its installations intended to enlarge the reading horizons to the population who was asking for it.
In this ambit, and unable to develop a comprehensive project due to the lack of human and budgetary resources but aiming at a cultural path, decides to develop some efforts near the institutions able to help the fulfilment of this dream.
It’s in this phase that the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation appears, it was asked to sponsor the installation of a fixed library in Borba. When contacted, this Foundation has shown all its availability and support to the installation of a library of the Gulbenkian network in Borba. This would happen in September, 1985.
Being an event initiated by the Cultural Centre of Borba, the Library was set in the Town Hall building with the support of the Town Hall of Borba as the Cultural Centre didn’t have human resources or even installations to welcome this event.
At its very beginning the library had 5169 volumes, being its natural spoil of 18761 volumes besides magazines, CDs and video tapes.
From 1985 to 2002 the Library and Reading Support Service of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation assured all the functioning, maintenance and updating of the bibliographic spoil, as well as the support to cultural activities, always cooperating with the Town Hall of Borba.
From 2002 onwards, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation extinguished the Library and Reading Support Service donating all the spoil of the Library to the Town Hall of Borba which became its legitimate owner and administrator. It was renamed Municipal Library of Borba.
The Municipal Library of Borba is a Public Library which includes within its bibliographic spoil a variety of Works contemplating all branches of knowledge in a most wide way, presented in varied ways, namely books, CDs and videos.
Its objective is to provide a public service acquisition, spreading and improvement of the community’s knowledge.
Functioning as a helping tool to school matters in the complementary information capture and research it intends to contribute to a great school success of those who enjoy its services.
The sensitization to the reading of the younger layers of the population, which begins with their first readings, is a process in constant development and updating through time as to create future potential readers. To this the Library disposes of works of initiation to the reading as stories, tales, BD and fantastic adventures which fulfil the children and teenagers’ dreams.
To the older population layers we dispose of a large set of information and leisure publications being as to awake the interest for innovative matters, the consolidation of the acquired knowledge and cultural enrichment.
To fulfil these objectives the Library also has some welcoming and comfortable spaces destined to the reading and consultation for children, adolescents and adults as these can develop their activities in a harmonic way.
It was recently presented a candidature to the POS-Knowledge (Knowledge Society Operational Program) in order to create public places providing the access to the internet in municipal public libraries, Ludotecas (entertaining spaces), Municipal museums and municipal archives.