ABSTRACT
This entry presents a general, brief, and nonexhaustive overview on the origin, development, and the crises of Venezuelan libraries and librarianship. The first section offers an historical background on the first Venezuelan libraries, highlighting the origin of the National Library, together with some of the most important characters of this early history. Moreover, it narrates milestones such as the first Law of Libraries of the country, the celebration of librarian’s day, and the Caracas Declaration. The second section briefly presents some current types and examples of Venezuelan libraries, such as academic, public, special, digital, and repositories. The third section discusses the development of Venezuelan librarianship, the related professional degree and professional education, including the main schools, programs, and curricula. The fourth section summarizes the current crisis faced by libraries and the profession itself. Finally, some brief comments are offered as a conclusion.
