Guinea-Bissau, Safeguarding the National Library of Guinea-Bissau

The collection of the National Library of Guinea-Bissau holds 52.200 of the most important (historical) documents of the country and is the only one of its kind.

It is made up of publications covering broad ranging topics, originating in the period of the Portuguese colonization of the country, and the post-independence period up until today. Ever since the civil conflict in 1998-1999, the National Library has been struggling to recover from its damages. Currently, the collection is in a very poor condition, and is suffering from humidity and infestations causing an immediate threat. To protect this important record of national heritage from being lost forever, the National Library proposes to clean, restore, catalogue and preserve the collection, and to improve its storage facilities to ensure future maintenance. This CER project is a vital jumpstart of the larger initiative to make this collection accessible again, and to recover the activities and the role in society of the National Library of Guinea-Bissau.

Image copyright: Conservartecuador

Project Details


Location: Guinea-Bissau Organiser(s): National Public Library of the National Research and Study Institute (INEP) Funder(s): Whiting Foundation, Prince Claus Fund - Cultural Emergency Response (CER) Funding received: €15,000.00 Commencement Date: 01/2018 Project Status: Completed
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