Historic

The concern in creating an adequate space for reading has been present since 1886 in the Mackenzie Presbyterian Institute, when it was still Mackenzie College, and counted with a book collection left here by American missionaries who returned to their homeland.

By increasing its collection, the library was inaugurated in 1918 in a small two-room construction, harboring in one, a 2000-volume collection, and the other to accommodate the readers.

The specific Project of an edifice to hold a library was yet a novelty, in Brazil. The few examples were generally public buildings, like the National Library, in Rio de Janeiro.

In 1923, the Project of a simple construction was presented, but it met its purposes, and in 1926, it was inaugurated as the George Alexander Library in honor of Mackenzie College´s counselor, an important educator of this Institution, with a 7000-volume collection.

The original building architecture impresses many visitors, until today, by its simplicity and magnificence, evoking pleasant memories in everyone who attends it.

The first director of this library was Madam Adelpha Silva Rodrigues de Figueiredo, then teacher of the American School. Her interest for the technical organization of the collection lead her to take a course in the United States.

In February 1927, the Library was franchised to the public, in general. The innovations therein instituted awakened great interest, since its organization was completely different: the material classification, the collection records, the catalog arrangement; they all obeyed the new techniques. The biggest news was the free access for readers to the shelves.

With the gradual increase of the collection and services offered, its facilities became insufficient. Thus, specialized sections by knowledge areas, denominated Sector Libraries had been opened.

It is highlighted the Sector Libraries are not separated libraries which belong to the Educational Units, since they integrate the George Alexander Library. The physical dislocation of the collections of particular areas of the human knowledge occur for different rooms in the academic campus.   

Throughout all these years, the Library has been updating its collection, equipping and modernizing its services, increasing and adapting the facilities, and technically capacitating its human resources constantly seeking continuous quality improvement for the education offered by Mackenzie.