The Banco de la República Cultural Center in Ibagué, known around the city as the Darío Echandía Library, is a space for reading, accessing knowledge, and research. Located in the center of the city, the Cultural Center is committed to implementing programs for all audiences, especially in the fields of music and visual arts, as well as offering workshops and other events in various fields of knowledge. Its work is also geared towards training library users in order to enrich their reading, writing, appreciation, and research skills, thus fostering intercultural dialogue in the region.
The objective of the Cultural Center is to support the Tolima community, as well as to sensitize and increase its access to art, culture, and knowledge, through diverse practices such as the oral tradition and training in visual and musical arts. It also seeks to promote knowledge and conservation of the region’s archaeological heritage. It runs a diverse program that includes workshops and conferences on literature, poetry, music, and art; and exhibitions and concerts, among other activities, in which the community can participate either by visiting the center and its spaces or by joining Banco de la República’s Library Network.
History
Banco de la República’s cultural policy is to promote, disseminate, encourage, and decentralize cultural activity in the regions. The Darío Echandía Library began its activities in Ibagué on March 20, 1984, as part of this policy. It was named in honor of an important politician from Tolima whose intellectual weight and contributions to the Colombian legal tradition have made history and are part of the Tolima region’s identity.
In the 2000s the library was remodeled and the building was adapted with elevators and ramps to allow easy access for people with disabilities. The Cultural Center has three reading rooms, a children's room, a music room, an exhibition room on the first floor, and an alternate exhibition room for educational exhibitions. Its documentary collection contains close to 80,000 volumes, and the center also has a cultural program.
