Library project to commemorate earthquake victims

Shelter Home Citlaltépetl ( Casa Refugio Citlaltépetl ) has opened a rehabilitation area for books rescued from the rubble of the buildings devastated by the September 19 earthquake, with which they aim to found a library bearing the name of writer Lorna Martínez Skossowska , who lost her life in the tragedy.

According to a statement released by the Secretary of Culture of Mexico City, the library will be the cultural legacy of the victims in Mexico City, and a symbol of the unity which arose from the quake.

So far, the only books recovered are those of the author herself, the collection of economist Néstor Fernández Verti, Santiago Mohar Volkow – the great-grandson of Leon Trotsky – and the photojournalist Wesley Bocxe.

The copies were recovered from the collapsed buildings in Amsterdam and Laredo, in the Condesa quarter, and after the authorization of their surviving relatives, or their own, in the case of Mohar Volkow and Fernández Verti.

“After restoring [the copies], we're going to found a library in honor of the September 19 victims,” announced María Cortina, Interinstitutional Coordinator of the Secretary of Culture in Mexico City.

For this reason, the journalist and cultural promoter has made an open call “to all who have recovered books from the debris or from buildings to be demolished, to bring them here, where the copies will be cleansed, restored, inventoried, and cataloged for the future library.”

Marlene Fautsch, member of the Historic, Artistic, and Cultural Heritage Coordination of the Secretary of Culture said they have close to 2 thousand books safeguarded in the Shelter Home, and the genres go from novels and poetry, to copies on Economy, History, Accounting, Photography, and Programming.

Ms. Fautsch said they have integrated a recovery team with the support of UNAM students, “as well as many others who have decided to join the project,” she added.

Once the recompilation process is complete, the neighbors who have lost their bibliographic material will be able to consult the library and reclaim the books of their property; meanwhile, the unclaimed useful books will remain at the Shelter Home Citlaltépetl.

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