About us

Once Chile had won independence from Spain and achieved a measure of political stability, it turned its attention to "construction of the nation". As well as the creation of an efficient administrative apparatus, this called for the definition of a national identity, with its own history and specific cultural expressions, around which the citizens of the new Republic could unite.  

A first important step was the foundation of the National Library in 1813 as a means of facilitating access to culture in line with the new Republic’s view that this would be conducive to more virtuous citizens, better able to contribute to the nation’s well-being and prosperity. This was followed in 1830 by the creation of a National Museum, focusing on the country’s natural resources and drawing on the work of foreign scholars such as French naturalist Claudio Gay. 

As the nineteenth century progressed, other institutions were also founded to preserve collections of scientific, artistic and historical value. They included the National History Museum. Then, in the early twentieth century, a new Fine Arts Museum was built in Santiago’s Parque Forestal and the National History Archive was created.

This proliferation of institutions led to the creation of the General Directorate of Libraries, Archives and Museums (DIBAM) in 1929. Reporting to the Ministry of Public Education, it was charged with providing the institutions under its care with a "structure of coordination, harmony and concordance required by the cultural mission to which they are called".  

Initially, DIBAM’s work was constrained by a lack of funding in the context of the Great Depression. By the 1940s, however, it was emerging as a key player in the country’s cultural and educational life as the different institutions under its supervision built up their collections and made them increasingly available to the public. 

Another key step in DIBAM’s development occurred in 1970 when protection of monuments of historical, natural and archaeological value was strengthened through a modernization of the National Monuments Council (CMN), which had been created in 1925. DIBAM’s director serves as executive vice-president of the CMN.  

Today, DIBAM is responsible for three national museums and 24 regional and thematic museums as well as 450 public libraries and the National Archive.

By Jaime Rosenblitt B.
Diego Barros Arana Research Center