The National Library of Spain or BNE is the country’s way of collecting Spain’s history and preserving it for years to come. Originally created three centuries ago, the National Library was to preserve printed pieces of Spanish history and culture. To stay current and keep people coming by to the National Library, Spain adapted to the new artistic ways of Spanish culture. Ana Santos, along with Javier Garcia Fernandez, proposed the:
“regulation of conservation of video games, web sites, electoral propaganda posters, and bookmarks, among other formats based on the reform of the Law on Legal Deposit of 2011.”
This proposal would allow the institution to adapt and conserve Spanish artistic pieces that may not have been on printed material. In addition to the conservation of video games in the Library, the new law would remove the storage of old microforms such as sudoku and crossword puzzles. Ana Santos director of the BNE states,
“Video games will be of Cultural Interest (BIC) in the future, because they have a very important cultural value as an artistic creation.”
A little history of the Law of Legal Deposit in Spain. It was founded by Felipe V at the end of 1711 but the Library wouldn’t begin depositing pieces until 1712. In 1836, the Library stopped being owned by the Spanish Crown and became a part of the Ministry of the Interior. The National Library houses almost half a million deposits, accounted for in 2018. There is a diverse amount of information in the Library but half are books.
Spanish director points out the need for reform of the law of 1985 to reflect the current reality of culture in Spain. He expresses deeply the need for preserving Spain’s digital heritage as well as the printed. This task of preservation for digital heritage, if the law is reformed and the proposal is passed, will be given to web curators within the country of Spain.
Will this new proposal then archive the new rise of esports around the world as well? Let us know what you think this might bring for the future of gaming, historically for the future gamer generations.
Hi Everyone! This is Matthew Karambelas here and I am a content creator for The Nerd Stash. I write about video game news, the entertainment industry, and anything else that interests me. Whenever I do have some free time I like to listen to podcasts, take care of dog, and stream some amazing content on my Twitch channel. Any comments and critiques are welcomed to make me a better creator of content. Thanks and keep on reading!
