Media library

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Situated behind a glass wall that separates it from the entrance hall, the new, free-access media library comprises an area of 180 m2 given over to the dissemination of all the natural sciences disciplines. With this new facility, the Museum has placed at the disposal of the public, aged 7 and over, an extensive digital archive that includes sound- and audiovisual documents, as well as books, on the biodiversity and geodiversity of our planet. The novelty of this new service lies in the fact that, for the first time, users are being given access to the only public database of animal sounds and sound landscapes that exists in Catalonia, the Natura Sonora sounds library at the Natural Sciences Museumof Barcelona.

The media library is an unpartitioned space that incorporates a viewing area equipped with computers, and a reading area. Users can consult the media library catalogue and borrow a copy of the documents. Large self-service shelves and a storage area complete this information resources centre which is starting life with the acquisition of 3,500 documents including books, audiovisuals, maps, interactive games and magazines.

In addition to the Natura Sonora sounds collection, which comprises 2,000 sound documents representing 80,000 sounds of assorted animals and habitats on our planet, the Museum Media Library offers Sounds à la Carte, a unique and innovative service consisting of a computer application that allows access to different sounds by using search criteria such as species, habitat or geographic location. Users will be able to pinpoint and listen to the sound of a hoopoe on summer evenings, the raging of a tropical storm or the birdsong of various nocturnal birds.

The Museum's Natura Sonora sounds library was created in 1983 with the aim of selecting, cataloguing and preserving recordings of animal sounds and sound landscapes of all the habitats on the planet, with particular emphasis on those here in Catalonia. Its documentary resources are based on recordings made by Museum personnel and collaborators within the framework of various research projects, and also on purchased commercial recordings. The Museum's Natura Sonora sounds library is Spain's second largest public collection after that held at the Natural Science Museum in Madrid.

Opening Hours:

October to May:

• Tuesday to Friday, from 10 am to 2 pm and 4 pm to 7 pm
• Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, from 10 am to 3 pm and from 4 pm to 8 pm

June to September

• Tuesday to Friday, from 10 am to 2 pm and from 4 pm to 8 pm
• Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from 10 am to 3 pm and from 4 pm to 8 pm

Get your Media Library Card

It's easy, you just need to bring your personal ID, fill-in a user form and you will be able to borrow up to three items during two weeks!

You will also enjoy the following benefits:

- Discounted admission to the Natural History Museum of Barcelona.
- 5% discount at the Museu Blau shop.
- Invitation to every opening of the Natural History Museum of Barcelona.