Biblioteca del Instituto de Biología

Photos: ©UNAM

The Biblioteca del Instituto de Biología is the library of the National Institute of Biology (IB UNAM). Part of the UNAM library system, here the focus is on the Biological Sciences and related disciplines.

The important historical collection came from the many institutions that preceded the IB UNAM, the reserve collections include some 3,800 historical books dating from 1603 through 1903. The library also includes a general collection and those from the Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station in Veracruz and the Chamela Biology Station in Jalisco.

The Mexican National Institute of Biology was founded in 1929 as a depository for the National Biological Collections that had accrued since the end of the 19th century. It’s one of the biggest and most complex research units in the UNAM. 165 members of the academic staff are grouped in five academic units:

• Departments of Botany and Zoology
• The IB-UNAM Botanical Garden
• The Chamela Biology Station in Jalisco
• Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station in Veracruz
• National Biological Collections & Libraries

The library collections are overseen in coordination with the overall UNAM library system and the normal access restrictions are enforced. Many parts of the system are open to the public. The library is often visited in combination with the National Herbarium which shares the same facilities.