Culture Minister Alberto Beingolea declared recently that he will not close the Lugar de la Memoria and stated that privileges have ended for sectors that previously managed the institution. His statements come as the Asociación de Bibliotecólogos del Perú released a formal statement calling for structural changes at the Biblioteca Nacional del Perú.
The Association of Librarians of Peru stated in its message to Beingolea that most past heads of the Biblioteca Nacional del Perú were professionals from outside library science. The association noted that although these appointees generally possessed good intentions, they lacked expertise in the discipline essential to leading such an important institution.
Library Leadership and Inventory Issues
The group asked the minister to avoid improvisations when appointing future library directors. The primary structural problem facing the Biblioteca Nacional del Perú is the lack of a general inventory at the country's first cultural institution, as previous attempts were merely distractors rather than actual inventories.
Except for Ramón Mujica and Fabiola Vergara, who both recognized the missing inventory, past leaders failed to address the situation. This ongoing inaction benefits corruption given the institution's rich bibliographic holdings sought by unscrupulous collectors worldwide, raising reasonable suspicions of an untouchable and well-connected criminal network.
