Tornquist Library

The Tornquist Library was founded in 1916 by Ernesto Tornquist and Co., a traditional Argentine firm with a solid prestige, and wide projections related to the economic and financial life of our country. Its collections show the founders’ interests of such society, who made an effort to gather background information in the country and abroad which allowed us understanding the Argentine economic and financial process.

Since the beginning, this Library specialized in economics, banking, finance, industry, agriculture, livestock, oil, etc. Between 1916 and 1940, it acquired regularly important amounts of books, brochures and national and international periodical publications.<

The richness of its collection in areas such as sugar industry, national finance, agriculture, colonization, is linked to the significant role the company had in these areas.

The Library worked inside such company for internal users consulting as well as public in general up to 1975 where it was offered as a donation to the Central Bank of Argentina.

The President of the Banco Tornquist and Co. Ltd., Héctor F. D. Capozzolo, informed to the BCRA authorities the decision taken at the Meeting of Shareholders of that institution held on July 25, 1975 where the donation was accepted by the unanimous assent of shareholders.

On August 20, 1975, the Central Bank of Argentina during its Board of Directors’ meeting approved that donation through Resolution No. 585/75.

Its collections are composed by 35,842 books and monographs, 1,155 periodical publications and manuscripts of personalities of the Argentine history. Moreover, before the donation, it was enhanced by the incorporation of part of the Estanislao Zeballos Collection and by acquisitions which completed its collections increasing the value of the whole set.

The chronological coverage includes the period from the beginning of the 19th Century until 1975, when it was donated. The collections it possess —in some cases, unique in the country— and the opinions of national and foreign distinguished experts of our history have positioned this library in a recognized place within local and foreign academic fields.

This library is available to officers and personnel of the Central Bank, national and provincial agencies, banks and other financial institutions, national and foreign researchers, professors and students, and the general public as well.

Services

The Library provides quests for specialized information and reference service.

The public have access to all the material available in the Library collections. It has rooms for group study and quiet study.

Databases available for consulting in the Library.

Reprography. The Library offers a copying service for a fee and a self-copy service free of charge as under the restrictions of the Copyright Law and the collections’ preservation status

Donation of the Tornquist Collection

The Board of the BCRA, with Emilio Mondelli as the Governor, Eduardo A. Zalduendo as Deputy Governor, and Roberto Ares, Florencio Carranza, Julio Fernández Mendy, Rodolfo P.S. Carello, Angel J. Miel Azquia, Emilio Moreta and Luis Sibecas as Directors, decided to:

1°.- Accept the donation of the Tornquist Library to the Central Bank of Argentina, made by the Finance Limited Company Ernesto Tornquist and Co., under the same conditions as it was offered.

2°.- Inform the institution the decision taken in the above mentioned point and express gratitude of the significant contribution that this important collection represents to the Central Bank of Argentina. (Transcription of the Minutes of the Board of Directors’ meeting and Resolution No. 585/75). The main conditions (or requirements) set out in such donation were the following:

1.- The unity of the collection under Tornquist Library shall be preserved. Transfer or sell of any volume comprised in the collection is forbidden.

2.- Free and open access to the public.

3.- Preservation and conservation of the volumes shall be a priority.

4.- Microfilming methods shall be used, as far as possible, to reproduce collections of newspapers and magazines.

Historic Collections

Some of the historic collections should be highlighted.

Contact us

Tornquist Library offers in-person services by appointment only, Mondays through Fridays, from 10 am to 3 pm at Reconquista 266, City of Buenos Aires.

To make an appointment or request further information, please write to biblio@bcra.gob.ar.