Gabinete de Lectura

The origins of the Ponce Municipal Library date to the establishment in Ponce of the "Gabinete de Lectura" in 1869–1870, founded by Alejandro Tapia y Rivera.^{[8][9][10][11]} The books from the Gabinete de Lectura, the personal collection of Don Miguel Rosich and miscellaneous purchases were used to stock the Public Library.^[12] The Gabinete de Lectura was the first educational, cultural, and scientific center in Ponce.^[13] The Gabinete was established in 1870 by Federico Perez, Antonio Molina Jr., Diego Vicente Texeira, Rafael Rodriguez, Luis R. Velazquez, Angel Aguerrevera, and Eduardo Neumann Gandía, and was located on Calle Sol.^[14] The central government in San Juan closed it down in 1874 out of fear that the common people would become educated and rebel against the government. However, it was reopened in 1876 by a group of people that included some of its original founders plus Dr. Rafael Pujals, Oscar Schuck, Alfredo Casals, Antonio Molina, Ramon Rivera, Jacobo Tur, Sergio Cuevas Zequeira, Juan Cuevas Aboy, Oriol Pasarell, Francisco Oliver, Manuel Mayoral Barnes, and Manuel Yordan.^[15] It was re-established on 8 April 1877 with Rafael Pujals, Jose A. Renta, Julio Chardon, Ramon Marin, Baldomero San Antonio, Luis Lassise, Antonio Perez Guerra, Eduardo Salichs, Juan J. Mayoral, Pedro P. Valdivieso, Eduardo Neumann Gandia, Rafael Rodriguez, and Luis Velazquez as its directors.^[16]

The first library

The Ponce Municipal Library was formally founded in 1890^[17][18] and re-organized in 1894.^[19] This first library was located on the first floor of Casa Alcaldia building,^[20] on what is now Calle Plaza Degetau, but at the time was considered part of Calle Villa. It contained 1,500 volumes that came from the "Gabinete de Lectura", the private collection of Manuel Rosich, a prominent local educator, and donations from citizens at large.^[21] The first librarian was Joaquin Figueroa.^[22] The library started with 809 books and 669 pamphlets.^[23] By 1913, the total number of volumes was over 4,754,^[24] including 2,818 books and 1,936 periodicals.^[25] In 1937, the library was restarted under the leadership of Luis A. Ferre.^[26] The library later relocated to Calle Isabel in the Ponce Historic Zone. In 1940, mayor Jose Tormos Diego reconditioned the northern annex of Teatro La Perla to be used as the headquarters of the Ponce municipal library.^[27]

Originally a non-circulating library, in 1945 the Ponce Public Library instituted a home loan system guaranteed by deposits. The majority of its readers were school children.^[28] By 1946 the Ponce Public Library collection had increased to 9,648 volumes, mostly of general character, but completely catalogued according to the Dewey system.^[29] In 1946 the library was mostly supported by the Ponce Lions Club and the Asociación Bibliotecaria de Puerto Rico, a sort of "friends of the library" organization.^[30] At least by 1947, the library was located on the second level of the Teatro La Perla.^[31] Luis A. Ferre was one of the sponsors of the Ponce Public Library and, in the 1950s, several of the works of art that would later be part of the collections at Museo de Arte de Ponce, first hung from the walls of the Public Library on the second floor of Teatro La Perla.^[32]

In 1971, construction on the north side of Teatro La Perla was completed^[33][34] and, during the administration of mayor Juan H. Cintron (1968–1972), the library moved to new facilities next to Teatro La Perla,^[35] where it remained until 2007.^[36][37]

Current facility

Construction of the new facility at Bulevar Miguel Pou started in December 2004, completed in January 2007, and the library opened in April 2007.^[38] The building cost was $8.5M USD, with another $2M used to furnish it, for a total cost of $10.5M.^[39]

The city moved its central library to the new facility in August 2007.^[40][41] The modern facility opened over three years after the untimely death of its proud mastermind and instigator, "the beloved Ponce Mayor Rafael Churumba Cordero".^[42]

Mariana Suárez de Longo

The Main Library was named after Mariana Suárez de Longo, a much admired “Teacher of Teachers”. Suarez de Longo was born on 3 January 1906 in Aibonito, Puerto Rico, graduated from Ponce High School in 1923, and obtained a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras in 1935.^[47] Suarez de Longo then committed almost 40 years of her life to the education of the island's youth. In 1946, she became the first Puerto Rican woman to be designated School Superintendent, commanding the Ponce area from 1950 to 1962. In 1954 she obtained a master's degree in Management and Supervision from New York University.^[48] From 1963 to 1966 she directed the Department of Education’s southern region, comprising fourteen municipalities. In 1966 she served as director of the Division of Curriculum of Puerto Rico's Department of Education. In 1969, Suarez de Longo directed the Staff Training Center of the Ponce Municipal Head Start program.^[49] The devoted educator retired in 1972.^[50] She died in Ponce on 13 January 1995.^[51]