Wikimania 2015 bids/Mexico City/Biblioteca Vasconcelos

Wikimania 2015 candidate cities:

Biblioteca José Vasconcelos (Vasconcelos Library) is a large public library and one of the largest cultural centers in Mexico City, located at the north of their Historical Center. It belongs to the National Council for Culture and the Arts of the Federal Government of Mexico, and was originally intended to be the hub of all the mexican libraries. Over the years, and after overcoming difficulties in their construction, it became a landmark in the city and a new meeting point for learning, visited by millions of people every year.

Thanks to the support of the library authorities, wikimanians literally can take the space for several days. Due to its dimensions, it's possible to run the event without compromising the library's official program of contents; all the Wikimedia community can hold meetings and small chit-chat with others in the middle of a gardened building without disruption. We think will be great host a Wikimania among hundreds of books, in a building devoted to learning.

The distance between venue and conference accommodations it is no more than 10 miles (5 kilometers), it takes around 15–30 minutes to arrive from one place to the other one. All transportation in the city is very cheap compared to other cities of the world and even within Mexico.

Address: Eje 1 Norte esquina Aldama S/N, Buenavista, Cuauhtémoc, 06350 Mexico City.
Phone: +52559157 2800
Total surface: 38,091 m², 26,000 of them are gardens.
Dimensions of the library's buildings: 270 meters long and 28 meters tall. Three buildings, each with six floors.
Parking: 325 spaces
Capacity: 5,000^[1]
Annual visitors: 1,825,000^[2]
Built: 2004–2007
Book collection: 580,000
Map in Open Street Map.

History

The area where the library is located came into being during the nineteenth century in the Mexico City just north of the Historic Center, so it's surrounded by historical "colonias" (neighborhoods) as Santa María la Ribera, Guerrero and Atlampa. Biblioteca Vasconcelos was built on the grounds of the former Buenavista Train Station, which is now a suburban train station and a large mall, Fórum Buenavista, with all the necessary services. Every Saturday, the Tianguis Cultural del Chopo, a flea market dedicated to rock and counter-culture expressions of the city, camps right outside the library.

The building

The library is composed by three linked buildings wach with three floors, with transparent rooftops and walls, all built with concrete, glass and steel. This mix allows a huge space, conducive to inspiration and learning using natural lighting, temperate weather and modern interior design. The different levels of the building are interconnected with stairs and elevators, with separated spaces and in the middle, a fleet of mobile shelves for the 580,000 books in its collection. The library serves as an inspirational space for reading, study, reflection and resting. Surrounding the building, there are many gardens populated with Mexico City endemic flora for the rest and peace of mind, which also serve as first-hand knowledge of one of the most megadiverse countries in the world.

Designed by Albert Kalach, the Vasconcelos Library is frequently cited as an example of contemporary architecture.

Plans

Halls

This is an initial proposal of use in general terms according to the traditional Wikimania program. If other activities should be programmed, there is a lot of available modular space that can be used.

Plenary

Our primary option is to mount a stage of 8 × 2 m. with one of 3 × 2 m. LED screen, with seating for 1000 persons in one of the four halls of the library.

One alternative is to hold the plenary activities in the auditorium and put a CCTV with audio and video in the outside gardens.
If needed, Wikimedia Mexico has discussed with the authorities of other cultural venues about the sponsoring of their time and space for the inauguration. The options are Palace of Fine Arts and Theater of the City Esperanza Iris. At the time of the bid both venues have not confirmed.

Seminar rooms

Auditorium

The auditorium of the library seats 500 persons. It has a large projection screen, professional audio and video equipment and a dedicated space in the first floor for illumination, press and VIP assistants. The building of the auditorium is "planted" on the gardens of the library and has a "green rooftop".

Multipurpose rooms A, B and C

At the first floor the library has three Multipurpose rooms A, B and C (Salas de usos múltiples, in Spanish). Each one has capacity for 60 persons, projection screen and are closed for the main area.

Main entrance ballroom

This area will be established as the registry area for all the attendants and a welcome area with stands related to sponsors and open culture initiatives.

Outdoor forum Las Gradas

An open space near to the main entrance, with space for 200 persons seated in bleachers and isolated from the ballroom with a glass wall. Optionally we can put a tent to cover our guests from the rain or the sun.

North and south reading halls

For the hackathon, workshops, speed sessions and Chapter Village the library has four spaces for 200 persons at the north and south reading halls.

Reading areas

Any other meetings and workshops of the community (GLAM, Education, AffCom, etc.) can held at any one of the more than 40 reading areas of the sides of the library. This are spaces for no more than 30 persons with tables and chairs. To prevent sound pollution from one room to another, we can alternate the use of each area.

Multimedia room

It can be used for workshops that need to work with desktop computers.

Kid's area

If it's needed, we have considered installing a childcare nursery with private care service for attendant's children. This service includes a variety of playful experiences, including some based on Mexican culture and games so they can learn and play at the same time.

Gardens

The gardens are a substantial part in the library. These spaces are considered for installing at least five areas of socialization for all attendees with lounge furniture, as well as the main coffee break and lunch area. All the gardens are connected trough tunnels and paths with sculptures and old pieces of the train station. Wikipedians will be glad to have a tempered green space with lot of fresh air to counter the noise and pollution of a big city.

Jardín suroeste (Southeastern Garden)
Paths in the gardens
Gardens in the first floor
Gardens and tunnels

Library services

Rest areas: in the floors there is many areas for rest and smoke.
Locker rooms: located in the first floor.
Wi-Fi (in addition that will be hired for the event).
WC with drinkable water fountains.

Locker rooms
Rest area at the first floor
Every WC has water fountains

Landmarks near to the library

Tianguis Cultural del Chopo: is a Saturday flea market (tianguis in Mexican Spanish) near the library, known locally as El Chopo. This peculiar bazaar is devoted to counter-culture expressions about music with the selling and trading of memorabilia including not only records but also clothing, magazines, books and other collectibles for musical genres as rock, metal, goth, punk, grunge and ska.
Alameda Park of Santa María la Ribera: to the west of the Library is located the colonia Santa María la Ribera, created in the late 19th century for the affluent who wanted homes outside of the city limits. Today is a mix of old and new homes, with over 1,000 categorized as historic. The Alameda Park, is the center of Santa María la Ribera with the Morisco Kiosk as main attractive and it's a short walk from the Liubrary (only five blocks). The kiosk was designed and built in the late 19th century by José Ramón Ibarrola to be the Mexico Pavilion at the World’s Fair of 1886 in New Orleans and of the Saint Louis Exposition of 1902. The Kiosk is a two times winner in Wiki Loves Monuments México.
Geology Institute Museum of UNAM: located at one end of Alameda Park, it contains a collection of fossils, minerals, flora and fauna from various parts of the world and a small collection of landscapes done by José María Velasco. The building style is Art Nouveau and has stained glass windows with typical Mexican scenery. Its facade is made of sandstone and contains reliefs of shell and reptile fossils.
Chopo University Museum of UNAM: is an Art Nouveau ironwork and glass construction, which stands out due to its two large metal towers. Due to its appearance, it has been nicknamed the Palacio de Cristal or the Crystal Palace, due to is similarity with the structure in England. Today it specializes in modern art and experimental projects for contemporary arts and young artists. In addition, the museum has an agreement of work with Wikimedia Mexico and surely will sponsor activities for the event. In this museum the local chapter develops frequent events such as the Wiki Loves Monuments awards ceremony.
Monument to the Revolution: is a landmark and monument commemorating the Mexican Revolution. It is located in Republic Square (Spanish: Plaza de la República) which divides Revolution Avenue between the avenues Paseo de la Reforma and Avenida de los Insurgentes in downtown Mexico City. It has a panoramic rooftop and hosts the National Museum of Revolution, recently remodeled.

Services near to the library

Fórum Buenavista: a big mall close to the library, it has a lot of services: supermarket, shops, a cinema complex with 14 theaters and 1 IMAX hall, drugstores, restaurants, gymnasium, boutiques, shoe stores, electronic and computer shops, big fast food area, coffee shops.
Suburbia Buenavista: an upmarket department store for clothing and shoes, located in front of the venue.
Wal-Mart Buenavista: a branch of the famous US chain of stores.

Getting there

There are different transport systems from the lodging area to the venue: underground 30 minutes ($0.38 USD), bus 30 minutes ($0.42 USD), metrobus 20 minutes ($0.46 USD), taxi 15 minutes ($5–10 USD).

By Metro: the Buenavista subway station of Mexico City Metro (subway) lies just outside the venue. This line belongs to Line B of the system. An advantage of our subway system, in addition to the really low cost of ticket, is that it doesn't have any additional cost regardless of time, distance traveled, line connections or number of stations. A single ride lasts as long as you want until you exit the stations.
By Metrobús: a few steps from the venue is a big terminal of Metrobús, a bus rapid transit system connected to lines 1, 3 and 4. This last line is directly connected to the Benito Juarez International Airport with an special fare of 40 MXN (3 USD). If you are arriving late to Wikimania you may choose this option to get directly to the venue!
By taxi: the fare of taxis are really low in compared to other cities in the world. One ride from Historical Center can cost 30 MXN. However, it is not recommended for foreigners to call any taxi from the streets. The volunteers of Wikimania or the hotel managers can help our guests take safe taxis.

References

External links

Review about the library in ArchDaily
Review of the library in TripAdvisor

[1] ttp://www.bibliotecavasconcelos.gob.mx/info_detalle.php?id=57

[2] ttp://www.bibliotecavasconcelos.gob.mx/info_detalle.php?id=57

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