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Here Is the Best New Public Library in the World

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions has crowned a new library as the best public library of the year.

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The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) named the Biblioteca Gabriel García Márquez in Barcelona, Spain as 2023’s best new public library of the year. The decision was announced August 21st during the 88th IFLA World Library and Information Conference that was held in the Netherlands.

The library was named after Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez and is wonderfully stylish. Its five stories are fitted into an octagon shape that looks like open books with folded pages. But it’s not just its unique design that won it the title of Best New Public Library of the Year — it’s also very community-oriented. Its workshops and other community resources it offers made the IFLA’s judges see it as a library that “…embodies the spirit of interaction with its surroundings and local culture.”

Barcelona’s new library won out over Slovenian, Australian, and Chinese public libraries. In addition to the award, the new library will receive $5,000 USD.

Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.