Generales

By Carlos Olimpo Restrepo S., Journalist at UdeA Communications Office 

In May 2025, the Universidad de Antioquia Library System will mark its 90th anniversary by opening to the public the personal library of professor and jurist Carlos Gaviria Díaz, which holds over 5,400 titles. Throughout this year and the next, the Library System will also provide access to the bibliographic collections, personal documents, and archives of other distinguished intellectuals who contributed to the university’s academic and research life. 

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A careful evaluation and classification process guides the handling of personal libraries, and the time between donation and public access may extend over several years, depending on the amount of material. Photo: Communications Department, UdeA / Alejandra Uribe F. 

Although the Universidad de Antioquia began offering books to students and professors as early as 1803, it established an official institutional library only in 1935. Since then, the library has undergone several name changes and steadily expanded its holdings. In recent decades, it has continued to grow through meaningful contributions from professors, graduates, and their families, who have donated personal collections that now enrich its archives. 

The General Library, founded in 1935, has evolved into the Universidad de Antioquia’s Library System. At its center stands the Carlos Gaviria Díaz Central Library, accompanied by the libraries of Medicine, Public Health, Nursing, Dentistry, and Ciudadela Robledo. The system also extends across regional campuses in Andes, Amalfi, Apartadó, Carepa, Carmen de Viboral, Caucasia, Puerto Berrío, Santa Fe de Antioquia, Sonsón, Turbo, and Yarumal. 

In addition to acquiring its materials, the university continually updates its catalog with publications on teaching, research, and theses. The catalog serves students, faculty, graduates, members of the general public, and researchers from universities within the country and abroad. 

Users can also explore the heritage and personal collections that specialists across different fields frequently study. Notably, the Zea Library, entrusted to the Universidad de Antioquia by the Department of Antioquia on January 1, 1951, contained 12,408 books and pamphlets, 2,372 magazines, and 961 newspapers—some dating back to the 19th century. 

José Luis Arboleda, coordinator of Heritage Collections, highlighted that the library held valuable materials, many of which served as the foundation for developing the documentary and newspaper collections. 

Among the recent donations are the collections of notable figures such as Luis Alberto Álvarez, writer and film critic; philosophers Guillermo Hoyos Vásquez, Jairo Escobar Moncada, and Beatriz Restrepo Gallego, who also taught ethics; sociologist, researcher, and educator María Teresa Uribe de Hincapié; Alberto Betancourt Arango, gynecologist and expert in Latin language and literature; anthropologist and gastronomic researcher Julián Estrada; and Martha Cecilia Vélez Saldarriaga, philosopher, psychologist, feminist, and professor. 

In recent months, the agency has acquired files from journalist and ethics professor Javier Darío Restrepo, law professor and human rights defender Luis Fernando Vélez Vélez, and Edgar Jaime Isaza, the architect behind the design of the University City at the University of Aruba. 

Librarian Luis Fernando de Ossa Ramos explained that the personal library project started as a way to expand the general collection. However, as the inventories advanced, they discovered certain materials require special care due to their unique nature, rarity—being little known or scarce locally—or the presence of reader annotations such as notes and markings. Consequently, most of the materials from these libraries and archives, currently under review and classification, will remain accessible to the public only within the Central Library. 

The Universidad de Antioquia Library System includes 18 libraries located in Medellín and in the regions where the Alma Mater has a presence. 

A donation of great weight 

A copy of the 1991 Constitution, featuring annotations and observations by Carlos Gaviria Díaz, stands out among the materials donated by his family to the UdeA Library System. Photo: UdeA Communications Department / Alejandra Uribe F.  

Since May 8, 2015, the university has honored Carlos Gaviria Díaz by naming the Central Library after him. He graduated from the Faculty of Law and served as professor, dean, and vice-rector of the UdeA. To honor his legacy, his family decided to donate a significant portion of his books and personal archives to the university. 

As the Gaviria Gómez family prepared to leave their longtime home in the Buenos Aires neighborhood, their main concern was finding a residence in Medellín large enough to accommodate the extensive collection of books and documents Carlos Gaviria Díaz had accumulated over the years. 

In late 1987, Carlos Gaviria Díaz, a law professor at the Universidad de Antioquia and a human rights defender, lived in exile in Argentina. From there, he guided the project, stressing that “a library is not merely a place to store books on shelves but should foster study, reading, writing, and thoughtful reflection.” 

Natalia Gaviria Gómez, daughter of the esteemed jurist, recalled that “the library was always an integral part of our home. In Buenos Aires, it filled a large room somewhat set apart from the rest of the house, making it challenging to find another home with enough space to hold all my father’s books.” 

The family and their collection finally settled into a home in the Conquistadores neighborhood, where they adopted a bright, well-ventilated space. They arrived on December 17, 1987—the very day Luis Fernando Vélez Vélez, a UdeA professor, human rights advocate, and close friend of Carlos Gaviria, was assassinated. 

Despite facing difficult times, Gaviria returned to Colombia in 1989 when he took on the role of vice-rector at the university, serving until 1992. The following year, he joined the Constitutional Court as a judge and remained until 2001. He later served as a senator and ran for president, always carrying books on law, philosophy, politics, and literature, many of which contained his notes, comments, and underlined passages that built upon those from previous decades. 

By the end of his life, he owned nearly 6,000 books across his libraries in Medellín and Bogotá. Beginning May 14, 2025, 5,400 of these books, along with 606 journals, will open for consultation to researchers, academics, and the general public in a dedicated room on the south side of the Central Library’s second floor. His archive comprises approximately 110 folders, each holding roughly 100 documents, and will be available there in the coming months once fully cataloged. 

The opening of the library section showcasing works donated by Carlos Gaviria’s family will serve as the main event celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Universidad de Antioquia Library System, which is currently processing eight other personal libraries from distinguished graduates and professors of the Alma Mater. 

“The Library System embodies the soul of the university and continuously adapts to lead in all social transformations.”— Dorys Liliana Henao, Director of the Library System, Universidad de Antioquia. 

The processes to preserve memory 

A dedicated room on the second floor of the Carlos Gaviria Díaz Central Library at UdeA provides access to the bibliographic and archival materials of this distinguished jurist and educator. Photo: UdeA Communications Directorate / Alejandra Uribe F.  

Dorys Liliana Henao Henao, director of the Library System at the Universidad de Antioquia, said these collections show a person’s thoughts, character, and academic work, so staff handle them with great care. 

When announcing a donation, the directive emphasizes verifying that the donated books and files relate to the individual’s academic contributions and intellectual legacy. 

Dorys Henao explained that the team begins by physically assessing the materials to check for signs of damage, such as deterioration, mold, or other issues. Afterward, they proceed to the library science phase, which involves analyzing, describing, and organizing the materials according to established classification systems. Once they complete this process, they enter the information into the Library System database and organize the materials for public consultation. 

Library professionals and trainees carefully manage each step of the process, creating and cataloging records for every book, pamphlet, document, and other resource—such as videos and audio materials—which then become valuable tools for students, researchers, and readers. 

Many of the books in these personal libraries contain visible traces of reading—signs of appropriation such as dedications and autographs from authors, former owners, or donors; underlined passages; page markings; handwritten notes and comments. Some volumes also contain inserted materials such as mnemonic cards, newspaper clippings, loose sheets with personal reflections, or letters. Even when unrelated to the book’s content, librarians keep these elements inside the volumes. They enrich the collection by offering added layers of meaning. While scholars may have already studied the texts themselves, these reader traces provide unique insights into how individuals engaged with and interpreted the material over time. 
 
This material is accessible not only to academic researchers but also to the general public, provided they consult it exclusively in the designated legacy rooms. Due to its unique nature and its importance to the university community’s heritage, the library stores it in a dedicated space managed by experts specialized in its preservation and care.