Tomás de Iriarte Library Closed Until Next Year Amid Repair Contract Delays

The Tomás de Iriarte library in Puerto de la Cruz will remain closed until next year. This is due to delays in the official process to hire contractors for its repair work. Desiré Díaz, the Culture Councillor for Puerto de la Cruz City Council, confirmed that while they hoped to reopen this month, "I don't think we will reach the date we set."

The library has been shut since August because of a "serious flood." The process of getting bids for the renovation is holding up its reopening. Ms. Díaz explained they are still collecting price quotes to follow purchasing rules. She added that "one of the bids fell through due to lack of material." She clarified, "We have the money, the funds, the parts needed for the elevator repair, and the UPN for the server. But officially awarding the contract for the work is causing delays."

The councillor promised to "do everything I can to manage the reopening of the municipal library." However, she stressed she "will not skip any steps to avoid an accident or a poor outcome." She assured that once the renovation contract is given out, the actual work "will not be a problem." This is because it only involves removing the old false ceiling panels and putting up new ones.

Five months on, hundreds of people who use the Tomás de Iriarte library are waiting for it to reopen. The library usually hosts two reading clubs, including one for children. The children's "fable club" has managed to keep going, meeting outside the building on some Friday afternoons. "Fortunately, the children's reading club is being maintained, despite the closure," said library user Cristina Notario McDonnell. Her eldest child, ten-year-old Alicia, attends this club. But her other two children, eight-year-old Luis and six-year-old Silvia, really miss the library. Cristina describes their feelings: "Every time we pass by there, what we feel is desolation."

Cristina and her three children used to visit the library weekly or every two weeks to borrow books. "We would stay there for a while, take several books, and when we read them, we would return them," she explained. She also praised librarian Matilde Perera, saying, "we have a librarian who is wonderful."

Mari Luz López Martínez, a former librarian from Madrid, now spends part of her time in Puerto de la Cruz. "When I arrived, the first thing I did was go to the library," she said. She is part of the adult reading club and understands the importance of such a place. She believes it "facilitates knowledge, literacy, and fosters critical thinking." She described the library as "modest, but it does a great job with children."

Ms. López Martínez finds the library's current situation causes "heartache." She observed, "Practically, they have no budget, hardly any staff, and even so, its long-term social impact is incomparable to any cultural event held in the city." She highlighted the various activities it hosts, such as "small exhibitions," its role as "a center of cultural activity," and the reading clubs. In short, she called it "a meeting place."