Biblioteca Nacional Aruba
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba is the government-funded national library of Aruba, serving as a public lending library, school-support service, cultural heritage repository, and community programming hub for the island's ~106,000 residents across three physical locations and digital platforms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1949
- HeadquartersOranjestad, Aruba
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Biblioteca Nacional Aruba does
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba (BNA) is the national library of Aruba, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, founded on August 20, 1949, as the Gouvernementsboekerij and renamed Biblioteca Nacional Aruba on March 3, 1986. It operates as a government-funded public cultural institution headquartered in Oranjestad with a branch in San Nicolas and a dedicated Arubiana/Caribiana department at Bachstraat 5, supported by a bibliobus ('Shon Shoco') serving schools.
BNA serves four primary functions: public lending library (100,000+ books in Papiamento, Dutch, English, Spanish), school-support library (School Media Service / Servicio Mediateca Escolar), national heritage repository (Arubiana/Caribiana collections, LAGO archive with 20,000+ images, Hartog and Ito Tromp collections), and cultural programming hub (Festival di Buki pa Mucha, Mercado di Buki Segunda Mano, podcast 'Biba la Bieb', Makerspace/B-Lab). Its technology stack centers on OCLC Worldcat for catalog management, the Coleccion Aruba digital repository (coleccion.aw) for digitized heritage materials, and the Online Bibliotheek platform for e-book and audiobook lending. SETAR provides free ADSL connectivity for the Centro di Informacion Digital.
The institution's revenue model is dominated by government appropriation with nominal user fees: free membership for children and teens (0-17), Afl. 5/year (~USD 2.80) for adults, plus small usage-based fees for computer access (Afl. 1-2/hour) and printing (Afl. 0.25-1.00/page), and facility rental income for exhibition and event spaces. Customers are segmented across the general public, schools and educators, researchers and historians, plus service partnerships with hospitals (H.O. Oduber), prisons (KIA), and government community centers (MFA locations). BNA maintains formal ties with Archivo Nacional Aruba, Universidad di Aruba, Instituto Pedagogico Arubano, and the regional ACURIL network.
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Biblioteca Nacional Aruba
- Legal name
- Biblioteca Nacional Aruba
- Website
- https://bibliotecanacional.aw
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1949
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Biblioteca Nacional Aruba is the government-funded national library of Aruba, serving as a public lending library, school-support service, cultural heritage repository, and community programming hub for the island's ~106,000 residents across three physical locations and digital platforms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Library Services
- NAICS
- Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Public Administration (92)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO), Library-Based Learning Programs (Public Libraries) (EDAAAFAA)
Keywords
Where Biblioteca Nacional Aruba is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oranjestad
- HQ country
- Aruba
Offices3 records
Markets served
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Annual Membership Fees: Free membership for children (0-12) and teens (13-17). Adults pay Afl. 5 annually. Tourists and trainees pay deposit of Afl. 100 or USD 50 in addition to membership fee.
- Computer and Internet Use Fees: Members pay Afl. 1.00 for first hour of computer use, then Afl. 1.00 per additional half hour. Non-members pay Afl. 2.00 for first hour. Maximum 2 hours per session.
- Printing and Copying Services: Black and white printing/copying at Afl. 0.25 per page. Color printing at Afl. 1.00 per page. Digital copies available.
- Facility Rental: Activity rooms and exhibition spaces available for rental for presentations, exhibitions, and events. Contact secretary for booking.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Free membership for children ages 0-17 |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual adult membership |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Computer use - Members |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Computer use - Non-members |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Printing services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba (BNA) is the national library of Aruba, providing public library services including book lending, digital access, study rooms, computer/internet facilities, cultural programs, and children's/youth activities. It maintains the largest collection of Arubiana-Caribiana materials in Aruba, operates a school media service supporting primary and secondary education, and preserves Aruba's documentary cultural heritage through the Arubiana Department and LAGO Collection.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Podcast 'Biba la Bieb': In-house podcast produced by Biblioteca Nacional Aruba discussing topics like reading, information management, and the library profession. Produced by Gina, Zetsia, and Alexis.
- Dept. Arubiana/Caribiana
- Centro di Informacion Digital (CID)
- Makerspace/B-Lab
- Schoolmediatheekdienst (SMD)
- Festival di Buki pa Mucha
- Mercado di buki segunda mano
Products and services
- Annual Library Membership Annual subscription to library services. Free for children (0-12) and teens (13-17); Afl. 5 per year for adults (18+). Members can borrow books, use study rooms, and access digital resources. Tourists and trainees pay additional deposit of Afl. 100 or USD 50.
- Book Lending Service Physical book borrowing service for members. Children can borrow 3 books per card for 4 weeks (up to 2 cards); teens 4 books per card for 4 weeks (up to 2 cards); adults up to 3 cards. Collection includes books in Papiamento, Dutch, English, and Spanish, plus magazines, newspapers, and audiovisual materials.
- Centro di Informacion Digital (CID) Public computer and internet access center with broadband connection (free ADSL provided by SETAR). Members pay Afl. 1.00 for first hour, Afl. 1.00 per additional half hour; non-members Afl. 2.00 for first hour. Maximum 2 hours per session. Available at Oranjestad main library and San Nicolas branch (20 computers).
- Digital Collection (Coleccion Aruba) Online digital collection of Arubiana-Caribiana materials accessible via coleccion.aw, including digitized newspapers, photographs, documents, publications, and theses. Part of the shared Coleccion Aruba cultural heritage repository.
- School Media Service (Servicio Mediateca Escolar / Schoolmediatheekdienst) Educational support service for primary and secondary schools providing book lending, project collections, classroom libraries, and teacher resources. Free membership for schools. Includes traveling collections and serves teachers, schools, and IPA students.
- Arubiana/Caribiana Department Research Collections Specialized research collections on Aruban and Caribbean heritage housed at Bachstraat 5, Oranjestad. Includes National Collection, Antique Collection (books from 1600s), Antillean/Caribbean/Surinam Collection, Hartog Collection, Ito Tromp Collection, Government Publications, Digital Collection, and LAGO Collection (20,000+ images).
- Makerspace / B-Lab Innovation space for children of all ages to experiment with tools, software, 3D printing, and other creative technologies. Part of BNA's evolution into a creative learning environment.
- Facility and Exhibition Space Rental Activity rooms and exhibition spaces available for rental for presentations, exhibitions, and events. Bookings handled through the director's secretary.
- Printing and Copying Services Black and white printing/copying at Afl. 0.25 per page; color printing at Afl. 1.00 per page. Digital copies available. Pay-as-you-go service.
- E-books and Audiobooks (Online Bibliotheek) Members access e-books, audiobooks, and digital magazines via the Online Bibliotheek platform (onlinebibliotheek.nl). Members log in via website and app.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100,000+ books in collection
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Biblioteca Nacional Aruba
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature3 records
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- SETARcoreSETAR provides free ADSL internet connection for the Centro di Informacion Digital (CID), enabling public computer and internet access at the library.
- Archivo Nacional Aruba (A.N.A.)coreBNA maintains cooperative ties with the National Archives of Aruba for cultural preservation and document sharing.
- Universidad di ArubaminorAcademic partnership for research and educational collaboration.
- Instituto Pedagogico Arubano (I.P.A.)minorEducational partnership serving IPA students with library materials and resources.
- Biblionef ArubaminorBiblionef donates children's books to the library's youth collection. Representatives Carla van Eerden and Sandra Postma support the children's library.
- Kiwanis Palm BeachminorService club that donated copies of 'The Gruffalo' book to the children's library.
- ACURIL (Association of Caribbean University Research and Institutional Libraries)minorInternational professional organization of Caribbean libraries. BNA is a member to stimulate interaction among Caribbean librarians. Last conference held in Aruba June 2019.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Internet Archive: Digital library offering free access to digitized books, audio, video, and web archives. Relevant as the global digital-preservation alternative to traditional library archiving and a potential model/competitor for BNA's Coleccion Aruba digital strategy.
Others
- ACURIL (Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries): Professional association of Caribbean libraries of which BNA is a member. The most relevant industry-network peer, hosting conferences and standards development that directly shape BNA's professional practice and regional collaboration.
- Biblionef: Dutch foundation that donates children's books to libraries in developing countries, including Aruba. Active donor partner to BNA's youth collection—representative of the international children's library support ecosystem in which BNA operates.
- Online Bibliotheek (onlinebibliotheek.nl): Dutch national e-book and audiobook lending platform that BNA members already access via integration. Key enabling infrastructure partner providing digital content distribution that BNA itself does not operate.
- Archivo Nacional Aruba: National archival institution of Aruba and a named strategic partner of BNA. Closely related entity operating complementary cultural heritage and records preservation functions on the same island, with documented cooperation on document sharing and cultural preservation.
Direct peers
- National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS) of Trinidad and Tobago: National library authority of Trinidad and Tobago, combining public lending, heritage archive, and national deposit functions. Comparable Caribbean national library mandate and ACURIL affiliation to BNA.
- National Library of Jamaica: National library of another English-speaking Caribbean nation, providing both public lending and heritage preservation services in a small island developing state. Member of ACURIL alongside BNA, and faces comparable challenges of limited domestic scale.
- Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB) – National Library of the Netherlands: The national library of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the sovereign state that includes Aruba. KB shares BNA's national mandate for heritage collection and operates similar public lending and digital access functions, making it the closest governance-level peer given Aruba's constitutional ties to the Netherlands.
- Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam (OBA): Major Dutch public library network providing book lending, study spaces, digital access, and cultural programming. Comparable service mix to BNA (free membership, public computers, exhibitions) though at vastly larger scale within the same Dutch-language ecosystem.
- Biblioteca Nacional di Kòrsou (National Library of Curaçao): The national library of Curaçao, another constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the southern Caribbean. Closest geographic and governance peer—operates the same national-library-plus-public-library mandate in a similarly-sized Dutch Caribbean island context.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba social profiles
Digital presenceBiblioteca Nacional Aruba financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Biblioteca Nacional Aruba
What does Biblioteca Nacional Aruba do?
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba (BNA) is the national library of Aruba, providing public library services including book lending, digital access, study rooms, computer/internet facilities, cultural programs, and children's/youth activities. It maintains the largest collection of Arubiana-Caribiana materials in Aruba, operates a school media service supporting primary and secondary education, and preserves Aruba's documentary cultural heritage through the Arubiana Department and LAGO Collection.
Is Biblioteca Nacional Aruba a public or private company?
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Biblioteca Nacional Aruba founded?
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba was founded in 1949. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Biblioteca Nacional Aruba based?
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba is headquartered in Oranjestad, Aruba.
How does Biblioteca Nacional Aruba make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Annual Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are computer and Internet Use Fees, printing and Copying Services and facility Rental.
Who are Biblioteca Nacional Aruba's main competitors?
Internet Archive is listed as an emerging player. Others are ACURIL (Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries), Biblionef, Online Bibliotheek (onlinebibliotheek.nl) and Archivo Nacional Aruba. Direct peers are National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS) of Trinidad and Tobago, National Library of Jamaica, Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB) – National Library of the Netherlands, Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam (OBA) and Biblioteca Nacional di Kòrsou (National Library of Curaçao).
Does Biblioteca Nacional Aruba have an API?
No public API is recorded for Biblioteca Nacional Aruba.
What industry is Biblioteca Nacional Aruba in?
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba's product category is Public Library Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAEAGAC, Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management, with a secondary code of BPAGAHAF, Libraries, Archives & Special Collections. Its NAICS code is 51921.