The Buenos Aires City government launches the BA Digital Library: 24/7 access to thousands of free books.

With updated editorial news available to download in one click The Ministry of Culture of the City of Buenos Aires announced the country's first app for lending free digital books . Through the Biblioteca Digital BA app , you can access, among other things, the Jorge Luis Borges Digital Library 's e-book catalog, featuring the latest publishing releases, from all types of mobile devices.

According to sources from the Ministry of Culture, who spoke to Clarín , "We've already created the digital web platform, but the new feature is this app, which will be available for all digital reading devices. It will allow users to download books during the library loan period and read them offline. It's worth clarifying that this is available to all residents of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires who have a registered address and are free members of the library network."

The Buenos Aires City government is touting this service as a "pioneer in Argentina" due to the ease with which users can browse the collection of books, audiobooks, magazines, and digital newspapers, as well as the ability to reserve digital books on loan , read online, or download materials offline.

Access is non-stop, meaning it is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week , unlike in-person book lending, which only allows access during office hours, Monday through Friday.

The idea behind the app seems to be a solution to improving the reading experience and access to knowledge , but also to tempt younger audiences to join the network.

The Jorge Luis Borges Digital Public Library was made possible thanks to the support of the Borges International Foundation , which is now managed by María Kodama's legitimate heirs, her four nephews.

According to the Minister of Culture, Gabriela Ricardes , this tool will allow access to the more than 1,500 books that the Borges Library alone has in its collection . "It is a concrete example of how, from the City Government headed by Jorge Macri, we continue working to make culture accessible to everyone. We believe our libraries must adapt and support new reading habits . This app is another step in that direction," said the official.

To simplify the explanation, the sources say: "The application will work as if the user had a tablet, a Kindle, or an iPad (the system works for Android and iOS systems). You can download an entire book and read it in its entirety , highlight it, and mark it, without being connected. Once the reader is linked to the city's public library network, it will access this entire catalog (and three others, which we'll talk about later). The books will be available to the user for a limited time. If I lend you a book of which I only have six copies available, only six people can download that book for a limited time , like when lending physical books."

The sources gave a concrete example: "For example, you want to read Samanta Schweblin's latest book, but all the copies are on loan. You reserve it, and when one becomes available, you receive an email with a notification that allows you to download it, read it, and you have approximately 15 days to read it . After that time, it goes to the virtual shelf and becomes available to another reader."

The app simplifies the experience and allows residents to access a constantly updated catalog of new releases , said Javier Martínez, the area's general manager.

So it works like a physical library, but with the enormous advantage that users can request a loan without time or day restrictions . Each reader can modify the font format and size, adjust the brightness and line spacing, underline the text, and make notes.

There will also be the option to link up to six different devices—a phone and a tablet, for example—and continue reading on any of them from where you left off.

The Biblioteca Digital BA app provides access to four complementary digital catalogs . The first, as mentioned above, is the Biblioteca Borges. It includes classics and new releases, such as the aforementioned El buen mal (Good Evil) by Schweblin , as well as the latest works by Han Kang , the newly crowned 2024 Nobel Prize winner in Literature, among other authors covering a diverse range of perspectives and titles.

There are also children's and young adult literature, science and technology, poetry, health, history, and philosophy books. It also includes a special selection dedicated to Argentine authors such as Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar, and another on the city of Buenos Aires with documentary, historical, and fictional bibliographies, as well as tourist and culinary guides.

The other three catalogues bring together materials unique in their literary, artistic and historical value.

A very attractive one is the one from the General Directorate of Heritage, Museums, and the Historic Center , which includes surprising research. For example, an ethnomusicological study on 20th-century female tango composers, as well as literary collections by artists and historians.

For its part , the Museum of Modern Art, directed by Victoria Noorthoon, is contributing works of significant value . El Moderno's editorial output is well-known, including catalogs and art books. Other notable works include the catalog of La Menesunda according to Marta Minujín and a tribute to León Ferrari on the centenary of his birth.

Finally, there is the Circe Treasure Book Library, which offers titles from the 16th to the 18th centuries that span Argentine history. This physical library opened its doors on June 4, 2003, with the goal of preserving the bibliographic heritage existing in the network of the General Directorate of Books and Reading Promotion. Historical authors include works by Domingo Faustino Srmiento, Bartolomé Mitre, José de San Martín, and historians such as Paul Groussac.

For more information, those interested can write to [email protected] or visit the website of the City's Directorate for the Promotion of Books, Libraries, and Culture.