The Benjamin Franklin Library in Mexico City marked its 70th anniversary with a reception April 26 attended by embassy staff, Mexican government representatives, librarians representing all types of libraries in Mexico and alumni of embassy-sponsored exchange programs.
The Benjamin Franklin was the first U.S. overseas library. U.S. Ambassador Anthony Wayne called the facility “a timeless symbol of strong ties between the United States and Mexico.”
Wayne said the library engages with the community and civil society in hundreds of cultural and educational programs annually. He noted that the reference desk answers nearly 21,000 queries every year utilizing a specialized collection of materials on bilateral relations, English teaching, librarianship and U.S. culture.National Council for the Arts (Conaculta) General Library Director Fernando Alvarez del Castillo called the Benjamin Franklin “an institutional standard in library matters” that “is a lively, moving, permanent and active library, committed to its mission and its cultural legacy.”
Alvarez del Castillo concluded his remarks with a reflective statement: “Let us remember that libraries are hospitals for the soul.”
The U.S. State Department donated Guadalajara’s Benjamin Franklin Library to the Universidad de Guadalajara in 1996.