Bogotá Library Network Celebrates 25 Years; Cúcuta Library Friends Group Holds Inaugural Meeting

The District Public Library Network of Bogotá (BibloRed) marked its 25th anniversary in July 2026, highlighting a quarter‑century of free access to literature, oral traditions and community knowledge. Founded between 1998 and 2001, the network has earned international and national awards, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s "Access To Learning" prize in 2002 and the highest citizen‑perception scores from the Bogotá Cómo Vamos surveys. Innovative services such as BibloEstaciones in the TransMilenio system (2008), the mobile BibloMóvil library (2019) and the cultural LEO Radio station (2023) have expanded its reach. In 2026 the network was officially nominated for UNESCO’s King Sejong Literacy Awards and its branches received the Daniel Samper Ortega National Public Library Prize and the TUR4all accessibility seal.

In the same month, the Biblioteca Pública Julio Pérez Ferrero in Cúcuta hosted the first meeting of the Grupo de Amigos de la Biblioteca (GAB). Directed by Tania Manzano, the gathering introduced the "Servicios con Propósito" strategy, emphasizing how library programs serve more than 500,000 annual participants. Attendees toured historic rooms, discussed new partnerships, and pledged to promote reading, education and cultural heritage throughout Norte de Santander.