Mexico City´s new megalibrary, or megabiblioteca as it is commonly referred to in Spanish, is a sight to behold, especially for those who have been searching for a research center that reflects the grandeur of the city it inhabits. Half a million books on science, art, literature, history and 20 other categories are housed in the 125,000-square-foot building.

But making use of the facilities at the Biblioteca José Vasconcelos is sometimes just as overwhelming as its architecture, perhaps more so for foreigners. It helps to know the basic ins and outs before trying to access the largest public library space in the nation.

Let´s start with membership.

Foreigners need more than their utility bill, photo ID and small photo required of Mexican citizens to get a library card. Make sure you also bring along your passport and a person with Mexican citizenship who will vouch for you, called a "fiador." Photocopy all documents, including a utility bill and ID of your fiador.

You´re not done yet. Once you´ve received the card it takes two days to activate and only then can you take out books, or rather a book. The system allows you only one book at a time until you´ve successfully borrowed and returned your loan three times. Then it slowly bumps you up to a maximum of three titles. Books can be borrowed for only one week although the loan can be renewed for up to two more weeks.

EASY INTERNET BYZANTINE STACKS

Some 750 computers with flat-screen monitors are connected to the Internet and available to the general public, not only to card-carrying members. Users get at least half an hour of free web time. The system allows you to stay on beyond that if there are no other users waiting. Keep in mind that to get assigned to a machine you will need a photo ID. Also, the connection speed varies greatly depending on the time of day; avoid afternoons.

While finding a book in the computer catalogue is easy, locating it in the stacks is another story. Suspended book aisles climb all the way to the top of the five-story building, forming a complex network of metallic staircases and frosted-glass platforms that when lit up at night resembles a scene out of "The Matrix."

To save time once you find the correct call number on the computer catalogue, ask one of the helpful librarians to direct you to the correct section of the library for that particular book.

After finally locating the book, you still may not be able to borrow it. You can only check out titles if there are four or more copies on the shelf. Anecdotally speaking, you have a 50/50 chance of that happening. That´s because many editions are still in shipment or waiting to be catalogued.

A quicker, yet not always accurate way of checking if your desired book can be borrowed is via the library´s Internet catalogue available to all Web surfers at www.bibliotecavasconcelos.gob.mx.

Under the "Bib/Items" category of the book you searched, the library name will appear with two numbers. The first digit indicates the total number of copies, and the second how many are out on loan. Do the math to see if the four necessary copies remain in house.

ENGLISH PLEASE

Perhaps the question on native English speakers´ lips is, "What about books in my language?"

There are about 1,000 titles on literature, music, geography and economy printed in English, French and German in a modest international section. But they are for reference purposes only, and many are not even on the shelf yet.

A few scattered materials in English are located in the stacks and can be taken home, along with instruction guides to several languages in the "Sala de Lenguas." A laboratory is slated to open in a few months where language-instruction software will be available.

Another perk to the still-expanding library is the "Sala de Música" on the ground floor. Cardholders can listen to a range of mostly classical music and opera on headsets. Although CDs cannot leave the room, any member of the public with music skills can make use of practice rooms and instruments to brush up on their piano, violin, or guitar for free.

The library has even more to offer, including cultural events, an expanding section for the blind, a children´s section and a soon-to-be-opened botanical garden measuring 280,000 square feet. But with much work still in progress, it remains to be seen if this newly operational facility will blossom into a truly grand center of culture.

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