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LIBRARY AND ARCHIVE

The Library and the Archive were created in 1889, the year in which Foment del Treball Nacional was formally founded. They represent the history of the business associations of Catalonia and especially of those of the 19th century, even though it has books prior to 1800.

In 1892, the Board of Directors approved a Regulation for the Library and the Reading Room (1892) and publishes a printed catalogue of subjects that in 1914 is adapted to the system of Documentary Classification of Brussels (1907) by the librarian Sebastià Farnés.

Foment del Treball has begun the first phase of digitalization of its historic archive between 1829-1936, with 136 volumes and 31,000 digitalized images. Amongst these documents are minutes, the registry of trades, and correspondence.

Contact with the Library and the Archive

Hour Hand:
9-14 h and 15-18 h

Phone:
+34 934841257

E-mail:
biblioteca@foment.com

The library of Foment has more than 80,000 volumes divided into four sections:

HISTORICAL ARCHIVES

The Archives of Foment (AFTN) reflect the history of business associations in Catalonia. They conserve the legacy left by the diverse institutions precursor to the current Foment, such as the writings and manuscript documents generated by the Commission of Factories.
We can summarize the contents in sections and series:

Sections:

  • Comissió de Fàbriques, Teixits i Estampats de Cotó de Catalunya (1829-1847)
  • Junta de Fàbriques (1847-1861)
  • Institut Industrial de Catalunya (1848-1879)
  • Foment de la Producció Nacional (1869-1880)
  • Foment de la Producció Espanyola (1876-1888)
  • Institut de Foment del Treball Nacional (1879-1889)
  • Foment del Treball Nacional (1889-1936)

Series:

  • Actas Junta Directiva i Comisión de Gobierno interior
  • Copiador de Cartas, oficios, comunicaciones
  • Libros de administración y contabilidad
  • Legajos de correspondencia recibida
  • Legajos de asuntos internos(edificio, presupuestos, homenajes…)
  • Memorias (1883 — )
  • Publicaciones periódicas:
    1849-1850 “El Bien Público”
    1869 “El Protector del Pueblo”
    1869-1870 “Fomento de la Producción Nacional”
    1870-1879 “Fomento de la Producción Nacional”
    1876-1889 “Fomento del la Producción Española”
    1880-1888 “El Eco de la Producción”
    1890-1892 “El Economista Español”
    1892-1936 “El Trabajo Nacional”
    1942-1943  “Información Económica”
    1943-1970 “Fomento del Trabajo Nacional”
    Economía nacional, internacional y de la empresa
    1970-1978 “Fomento del Trabajo Nacional”
    1978- “Horizonte Empresarial”

BOOKS AND BROCHURES

The Library has 80,000 volumes, mainly on economic and social subjects. Some donators contributed to the collection: Josep Ferrer i Vidal, Frederic Rahola, Guillem Graell, Emili Orellana, Víctor Balaguer, Lluís Segó, Juan Navarro Reverter, Josep M. Albert Despujol, Baró de Terrades, among others.

It has an important background of more than 200 books prior to 1800 (3 books from the 16th century, 25 from the 17th century and 183 from the 18th century).

Among these are:

  • Constitucions i altres drets de Catalunya, 1589, 1r vol.
  • Marco Tilius Tirón. Notae romanorum veterum. Quibus litera verbum facit (Taquigrafia romana), 1603. Shorthand was used to collect the speeches from the Roman Senate.
  • Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. Don Quijote de la Mancha (1605) and 1st edition photo-typography, 1872. Edition of only 1605 copies for Spain.
  • Frigola, Vicente. Relación de los pueblos de que consta el Principado, 1824. Considered the first Catalan catalogue of names.
  • Tos, Joaquín. Paleografía que para la inteligencia de los manuscritos antiguos de este Principado. Appendix of scribes and notaries of Barcelona from the 13th century. Catalan paleography. (prior to 1828).

PERIODICALS

The magazine title catalogue of Foment del Treball has more than 1500 closed entries.; four from the 18th century and more than 160 from the 19th century.

Among the most important collections are:

  • Mercurio histórico y político, 1743
  • Descriptions des Arts et Metiers 1761 87 vols.
  • Diario de Barcelona (1793)
  • Gaceta de Madrid (1848)
  • Diario de Sesiones de las Cortes, Congreso de Diputados desde las Cortes de Castilla y de Cádiz (1563). (Volums publicats el 1877)
  • The Economist (1876)
  • Dekorative Vorbilber, 1890. 21 vol.
  • Boletín de Reformas Sociales (1904-1924)

MANUSCRIPTS AND UNIQUE COPIES

  • Colecciones de letras de cambio adquiridas por Foment del Treball en el año 1895:
    • Lletra de Canvi de València (s.XV)
    • Lletra de Vanio de Nàpols (s. XVI)
  • Samponts Roca, Francisco. Noticia de una nueva Bomba de Fuego, 1805
  • Rovira, Joaquín. Libro de teoría de la fabricación de la seda …1838
  • Rico y Sinobas. Ornamentación catalana: cerrajería en la Edad Media, 1880
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