Book Hunting at LIBER-Madrid 2013 and Beyond

• By: Adan Griego
• On: 10/09/2013 13:08:49
• In: Book Fairs & Trip Notes

After a two year absence both LIBER and SALALM librarians returned to Madrid for the annual book festival that alternates between Spain's two largest cities. This year Chile was the featured country.
For me it all started several hours after arriving on a Sunday morning, ever so eager to discover the new librerías showcased in the daily El País. I had the advantage of a local tour guide to supplement the list: New York author Lawrence Schimel (who has lived in Madrid for more than a decade). We began with a stop at a small book store hosted by the NGO Grupo 2013. The afternoon ended with a visit to La Central de Callao, where we ran into Victoire Chevalier from e-libro and Lluís Pastor, president of the Unión de Editoriales Universitarias Españolas! Never say that print and digital don't go hand in hand. The contrast between both locales could not be more different: Libros Libres, overflowing with loosely organized used books and a more upscale clientele at one of the newest bookshops in Madrid with 4 floors where you could spend a day with a relaxing cup of café con leche.
The second day in Madrid started at Librería Berkana in the Chueca neighborhood, where signs of an ongoing financial crisis are very visible: empty store fronts and people begging for money. A year ago, Mili Hernández, activist, publisher and bookshop owner proudly announced at a panel discussion that e-books would soon be part of her publishing output. She has listened to suggestions from librarians and plans to make them available via digital platforms familiar to library users.
The day's book hunting continued to the Antonio Machado bookshop by the Círculo de Bellas Artes museum. The current photo exhibit on Francesc Català-Roca will have to wait until the next day. A 2pm lunch was still far away in the agenda, allowing for a stop across the street at the Catalan Cultural Center. Only two weeks earlier the Center's bookstore had been attacked by far right extremists during the celebrations of Catalan independence day, highlighting the political tensions between Madrid's central government and Barcelona's plight for a home-rule referendum.
The annual Fall Antiquarian Book Fair was only a block away, providing a logical end to a morning full of novedades and some not so new book titles, but certainly new Stanford's library. Perhaps this year we will reach the record 1,800 new approval titles from Spain! In yet another sign of a struggling economy, this time there were fewer stands that would have covered up to three blocks of the pedestrian mall of Paseo de Recoletos, the tree-lined boulevard in the central part of the city. But it's lunch time and I've been waiting for long time, if only there were a place with comida casera!
My first full day ended with an early tapas dinner at Plaza de Santa Ana where I met a library colleague who alerted me to an interesting digital project: Biblioteca Digital del Patrimonio Iberoamericano. The last time I visited this popular square there was an outdoor asamblea popular held by the original occupiers: the 2011 indignados, precusors to the Occupy Wall Street movement.
LIBER opens in one day and there are still plenty of book shops to visit. This time is on to Malasaña where Arrebato Libros houses an extensive selection of poetry chapbooks and fanzines, certainly something an Almodovar movie character would enjoy and may just walk-in at anytime! Alfonso Vijil (Libros Latinos) will take several items and Stanford's library will see its cartonero holdings augmented with a long list of titles from one of Spain's alternative publishers of hand-made cardboard books. The excursion would not be complete without a stop-over at La Estampa art gallery. Its Biblioteca Americana has published 10 profusely illustrated limited edition fine books devoted to a Latin American country, with several more to come before the series is complete.
It's time for lunch but with lots of energy the two SALAMIstas will continue to the Antiquarian book fair, which remains open during the sacred hora de la comida that still closes many commercial establishments. Congress is considering a move to another time zone, which would bring structural changes to the country's traditionally late eating hours compared to the rest of Europe.
For dinner it would be a second visit for the best home-made gazpacho at Marsot. To top it all, they welcome everyone with hola chicos!. For those that have crossed the 50-something barrier, that's a gem of a greeting, n'est-ce pas?
Finally, on to LIBER. Mili Hernandez has offered a ride and since all of us are not quite familiar with the new locale, the prospect of getting lost, but in good company is most appealing. Besides, the ride comes with an unforgettable lesson in local politics from one of the country's best known activists who does not shy away from criticizing cultural policies from the current conservative government.

LIBER is now housed in a multi-level exhibit hall that will see several librarians from the new United States browsing the stands of fewer Spanish publishers than in previous years. The financial crisis has hit the book industry hard and some may have opted for Frankfurt the following week as a more viable option. LIBER was also trying a new model. In addition to the three traditional days for book professionals, the adjoining pavilion was due to receive a more general public. Selling books to readers has been more the domain of the competing open-air Madrid Book Fair held every year in late May.
The new location sparked controversy almost from the moment it was announced in early August. The Arena exhibit hall's multi-level locale exhausted some, while others were still not convinced.
For the SALALM group of academic librarians LIBER became a place to share information about interesting titles, new publishers, alternative book spaces and other options for a cultural outing. For me the trip would close with a visit to the National Library's exhibit celebrating the 300 anniversary of the Royal Language Academy. The Biblioteca Nacional had also hosted a similar exhibit for its own 300 years, which came with a commemorative stamp and a google doodle!
An unexpected turn in the wrong direction led me to the Mapfre Foundation museum for a final exhibit: España contemporánea. Fotografía, pintura y moda. Need I say it included a visit to the book store?
Adan Griego, Stanford University Libraries.
Photo #1
Jill Baron (Dartmouth), Patricia Figueroa (Brown), Lawrence Schimel, Adriana V. Lopes (formerly of Critícas magazine) and Sean Knowlton (Columbia).