La Biblioteca Publica (Insurgentes # 25) can be considered the “heart” of community life in San Miguel. Enter the courtyard of the old convent turned tanning factory turned Biblioteca on any given day and you will see a flurry of activity. Under one arched passage way children’s art projects are underway. At iron tables in the courtyard Spanish speakers paired with English speakers are teaching each other the language.
The Biblioteca tienda sells books by local authors and a variety of crafts. Wander into the Cafe Santa Ana, the Santa Ana theater (where films are shown throughout the week and plays are produced by a number of local theater groups), and library proper which houses the second largest collection of English-language books in Mexico, including a large collection devoted to Latin American studies. Volunteers are busy cataloging book orders and donations, shelving books, while patrons relax with cappuccinos or margaritas in the Cafe. The weekly bi-lingual newspaper Atencion is published upstairs. On Saturdays, local young people take advantage of guitar and art lessons, jazz sessions, and summer camp.