The indefinite strike by the staff of the Consorci de Biblioteques de Barcelona, which began on Tuesday, May 26, has left most of the municipal network closed with less than two weeks to go until the Selectivitat. The stoppage also affects the city's 10 study rooms, which usually open at night and on some weekends.
The conflict comes at a particularly delicate moment in Barcelona. Libraries are not only one of the usual preparation spaces for the exams on June 9, 10, and 11, but they are also part of the Xarxa de Refugis Climàtics (Network of Climate Shelters) amid heat forecasts, with highs of 34 degrees.
90% of libraries remained closed on Tuesday
The consortium's works council reported that on Tuesday, 90% of libraries remained closed due to the strike. The Consorci de Biblioteques de Barcelona network comprises 41 facilities distributed throughout the city.
The consortium explains that libraries do not have minimum services. They add that opening each center requires a minimum number of staff, set internally based on the type of facility and the number of floors.
This criterion leaves a large part of the network inactive if the minimum staffing level is not reached in each building. In practice, the closure forces regular users to seek other public or private spaces to study, read, or connect.
Night study rooms also affected before the Selectivitat
To this situation is added the staff stoppage at Barcelona's 10 study rooms. These spaces are mostly located in library facilities and extend their usual hours with openings from 8:30 PM to midnight, as well as some weekends.
For many students, these rooms serve as a reinforcement in the final stretch of the course. Their impact coincides with the immediate preparation for the Selectivitat, scheduled for June 9, 10, and 11.
The 41 libraries stop acting as climate shelters with 34 degrees forecast
To the impact on studying is added the climatic function of the network. The 41 libraries of the CBB are part of the Xarxa de Refugis Climàtics, so their closure prevents them from providing this service during the heat episode forecast for the city.
Barcelona has 400 climate shelters in summer and 300 in winter, distributed in other public facilities. Even so, the temporary shutdown of the library network reduces one of the most widespread and recognizable options for sheltering from high temperatures in the neighborhoods.
The 10 study rooms affected by the strike usually open from 8:30 p.m. to midnight and on some weekends, just in the week before the Selectivitat exams on June 9, 10, and 11.