Categories: Visiting

CCCB’s Cool Secret Library

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“I’m in the library at the CCCB working on a short story.”

“There’s a library inside the CCCB?!”

“Yeah! It’s really cool, too.”

And so went a What’s App chat with my writer friend and knower-of-all-hip-places in Barcelona. As I am always on the lookout for unique spaces to get work done or write- especially when I’m feeling too cheap to buy a cup of coffee at a café-, I knew I had to check this place out.

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CCCB

In a courtyard behind MACBA, the modern art museum in El Raval, rests its cooler younger sister CCCB, or the Center of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona. Juxtaposed against the ornately traditional buildings that compromise the entrance and side wing of the center is a massive, modern glass building that houses the current exhibitions.

Lesser known, however, is the library that is tucked away
actually right at the front entrance of the center. Expecting a grand and traditional library, I wasn’t sure if this small modern space was what my friend was talking about. However, through the glass windows, I could see a small room with a bookshelf, a table of computers occupied by headphone-clad young people, and others lounging on cushions on the ground reading books. Curious to see if this was it, I entered.

The Library

It turns out that in addition to being a place to get creative or study, this little library actually acts as an
archive for the CCCB– housing thousands of multimedia references on modern culture and bibliographic support for the various exhibitions that have been held there. You can access all of the materials for free, which makes it a rich source of information for any type of modern cultural research you may have to do.

The space is also super modern and cool, and those cushions that I saw people lounging on turned out to be quite large and comfortable. Additionally, the library offers free wi-fi and silence, making it an ideal place to study, work, write, read, and relax.

The archive is open Tuesday-Friday from 3:00 P.M.-8:00 P.M. and weekends and bank holidays 11:00 A.M.-8:00 P.M. It is closed on non-holiday Mondays. It is located at Carrer de Montalegre, 5, in the Raval neighborhood, metro Liceu (green line). For more information, visit the CCCB Archive webpage.