Lobelian Library

“The universe (which others call the Library) is composed of an indefinite, and perhaps infinite, number of hexagonal galleries, with vast ventilation shafts in the middle, enclosed by very low railings…”

J.L Borges, «La biblioteca de Babel»

The Lobelian Library is the foundational core of our project. It is conceived as a library of libraries, where each collection maintains its curatorial coherence and original unity. Unlike traditional libraries, here the order is not established by isolated thematic categories, but by the internal relationships that each researcher has created in their own work. Each collection is a map in itself, a territory of connections that we safeguard without fragmenting it.

We currently have four
committed collections:

Collection of the writer and
ethnopharmacognosist Jonathan Ott.
Collection of the researcher and historian
by the artist Constantino Manuel Torres.
Selection curated by the ethnopharmacologist
and writer Dennis McKenna.
Ethnobotanical researcher's collection
and collector Steven King.

Help us bring the Jonathan Ott library from Mexico

Alongside these, the Library will house curated selections from invited researchers and donors, as well as books acquired by the Foundation and publications from Lobeliana Publishing House. Together, an initial collection of more than 8,000 volumes is projected, which will grow in dialogue with researchers, artists, and communities, offering a unique space to study the cultural history of drugs and the many ways in which they have been intertwined with plants and fungi.

The Ethnobotanical Audiovisual Archive is part of the Library, serving as a collection for the preservation of visual and sound records. It brings together field recordings, interviews, documentaries, historical material, and productions created by the Foundation, organized for long-term study and preservation. The circulation of this content is facilitated through... Tupa Archive, la plataforma del Centro de Estudios Lobeliana que ofrece seminarios, documentales y obras audiovisuales en formatos accesibles para la comunidad.