Public Areas

The public facilities of the Arquivo Regional e Biblioteca Pública da Madeira (ABM) are divided between floors 0 and 2. At the building’s atrium, the reception works as the readers welcome area, information and general guidelines.

To access the Reading Rooms and Certification Services: please consult the ABM’s General Access Regulations and Opening Hours.

Floor 0

At level 0 are located the Reception, Shop, Auditorium, Cafeteria, Certification Services and Special Reading Room/Group’s Room.

1st floor

On the 1st Floor are located the General Reading Room, the Children’s and Youth Room – Library and the Workshop’s/Atelier Room.

2nd floor

On the 2nd floor are located the Archive’s Reading Room and Reserved Area.

Internal Services

The Management of Archive Records and Access Services supervises ABM’s technical and legal archivist heritage and ensures its services for access and research.

It includes:

  • Management of archive’s collections (acquisitions and incorporations) and holdings.
  • Organization and archive file’s description.
  • Management of the reading and reference services and other records certification.
  • Technical support to the Region’s Public Administration Services.
  • Technical support to private entities and individuals’ holders of historical documentation.
  • Ensure the archive’s research activities and support the conception and organization of cultural initiatives.
The Management of Collections and Access Services supervises ABM’s library heritage and ensures the corresponding Services of Access and Reference to its collections.

It comprehends particularly:

  • Management of bibliographic collections (acquisitions and legal deposit system) and holdings
  • Analysis and documentary process.
  • Management of the reading rooms, help-desk, general reference area and information on the collections.
  • Management of inter-library borrow services and support to the Region’s libraries.
  • Cooperation with the National Library of Portugal.
  • Ensure the planning of activities/studies on the collections and support the conception and organization of cultural initiatives.
The Preservation, Conservation and Restoration Services execute a preservation programme of all ABM’s collections, performing all necessary procedures of conservation, restoration and book binding.

Its actions benefit:

  • Preservation actions (improvement of the physical environment and of document’s different forms of packing and correct setting).
  • Curative Conservation Actions (stabilization treatments are carried out to stop the deterioration process).

It comprehends the following areas:

  • Pathology laboratory (control of environmental conditions, pest control)
  • Scanning
  • Microfilming
  • Packaging
  • Cleaning procedures
  • Conservation and restoration

For further information consult the menu: Services/Consulting Archives & Services/Conservation and Restoration Utensils

The Educational Services Department is targeted to contact with the local school community. It promotes book related and reading activities, documentary funds of archive’s records diffusion, as well as guided tours (within the school-year calendar), borrowing of educational materials and training-courses targeted to teachers/attendants and readers.

The Cultural Services Department organizes conferences, exhibitions and other events in order to promote the institution itself, its collections and by doing so, largely contributes to a wide-ranging knowledge about the history of our archipelago. It is also responsible for the auditorium’s management/rental fees & temporary loan and the ABM’s Shop.

In addition to maintaining all PC/Informatic services of this institution fully operatinal on a daily basis, and providing support to employers, who daily work in ABM, it also promotes the development of diversified projects, in collaboration with other services, taking ABM overseas, and also seeking to consolidate one of the institution’s main goals, to be at the vanguard of information, technology and accessible to all.

Projects developed and available online:

  • Update and restructuration of ABM’s website;
  • Digital ABM – dissemination platform and access to documents;
  • Databases: Parochial records (marriages and baptisms); passports; judiciary processes;
  • Real state records/public deeds, Tax inheritances/succession and donation records;
  • Online Plan – Identification, monitoring and pest control in graphic documents;
  • Public Libraries – Collective catalogue/online bibliographic research.
In direct correlation with the central administrative services of the Regional Department of Culture, and respecting the established guidelines of shared services.