News
Barcelona keeps more than half its libraries closed in the middle of August
Barcelona residents are calling for more libraries to remain open during August so they can take refuge from the heat. This month, only 19 of the 41 municipal libraries remain available, a situation that leaves some neighbourhoods without this type of facility close to home.
One of the clearest cases is Horta. The Can Mariner library remains closed throughout August and neighbours who want to go to an air-conditioned library have to travel by metro or bus to other neighbourhoods. The neighbourhood association is asking for every district to keep more than one facility open throughout the summer.
The demand goes beyond the usual cultural service. Libraries have become particularly valued climate shelters because they allow people to remain for hours in a cool space, sit down, read, use the internet or simply rest when outdoor temperatures are difficult to bear.
This summer Barcelona has nearly 500 climate shelters, around a hundred more than in 2025. The network includes civic centres, sports facilities, markets, museums, shops, parks and other public and private spaces, and allows 99% of the population to have one within less than a ten-minute walk on working days.
However, Horta neighbours consider that not all these spaces offer the same possibilities. Some are small shops or facilities designed for brief stays, while libraries allow people to spend a considerable part of the afternoon protected from the heat. In the neighbourhood, the civic centre also remains closed in August and other facilities have more limited use.
The city has progressively expanded the opening of libraries during the summer months. In 2025, 17 operated during August and this year there are 19, while the general network of climate shelters has also grown with new facilities and micro-shelters spread across different neighbourhoods.
The discussion takes on particular importance during the hottest weeks of the year, when many people seek alternatives to domestic air conditioning. The debate raised by neighbours is not only how many shelters appear on the map, but which ones allow people to remain comfortably for several hours and whether they are distributed evenly enough so that no neighbourhood has to travel far to find one.