Source: Spanish Revolution, Vol. 2 No. 5. March 17, 1937, p. 7;
Transcribed: by Revolution's Newsstand.
The P.O.U.M. local of the Gracia district of Barcelona has founded a large public library, with reading rooms and lending library, for its members and sympathizers. It is no accident that the library is housed in the same building with the headquarters and assembly rooms of the party local. The library is at the service of the revolution. It is a useful weapon against our class enemy and in the building of socialism.
The origin of this library is interesting. When the workers of Barcelona took up arms and freed their city of the military-fascist bandits, the capitalists saw their world sinking, and many of them had such guilty consciences that they fled abroad. Their luxurious mansions were confiscated by the workers’ organizations and are now in the service of the parties and trade unions. Thus the Gracia Local of the P.O.U.M. came into possession of the villa of a wealthy Marquis. It is spacious, with room for offices, club rooms and assembly halls. Several rooms are used for the library. In a large, comfortable reading room, the best French and Spanish newspapers are available. The library itself has about 10,000 volumes, largely obtained from confiscated dwellings. The collection is truly international, an indication of how international was the enemy of the Spanish workers.
The best English, French and German literature stands beside the Spanish and Catalan. A large collection of German books was made from the libraries of the fleeing Nazis, who found it too hot here after the departure of their Consul. It is interesting to note that with few exceptions these gentlemen went in especially for books which were forbidden and burned in Germany. The library is particularly rich in historic and natural science, scientific and geographical works, with many artistic and literary volumes as well. Much Marxist literature has been newly added.
Most of these books await the day when there is more leisure to enjoy them. Today, when our comrades and militia men on leave find a little time, they turn either to the technical books, such as ballistics, topography or geometry or to the political works, such as the history of the Russian revolution, the class struggle in Spain, and various socialist and Marxist books.
The Spanish, as well as the English, German and French comrades, back from the front on leave, want to see what has happened while they were fighting. We often take them to our library, which we believe to be a socialist institution inasmuch as it aids our political struggle behind the lines, and points the way to a higher culture in which the whole people shall participate.