Biblioteca Pública de Asturias "Ramón Pérez de Ayala", Oviedo

The State Public Library in Oviedo began its activity in 1942, when it was installed in an outbuilding of the Instituto Femenino de Enseñanza Media as one of the libraries dependent on the Coordinating Centre. At the beginning, it fulfilled the double role of library of that institute and public library. In 1947 it moved to premises in San Vicente Street, under the auspices of the General Directorate of Archives and Libraries and the Provincial Council. However, it soon became apparent that the new facilities were insufficient for the amount of funds required, and so, having already become a Provincial Public Library dependent on the Ministry of Education, work began on adapting the Toreno Palace, moving there in February 1958, together with the Library Coordinating Centre and the Provincial Historical Archive. In that year the Library did not exceed 15,000 volumes.

As time went by, the Toreno Palace also became too small and the Ministry of Culture built the current building, which was inaugurated in November 1987. A few months earlier, the Principality of Asturias created the "Ramón Pérez de Ayala" Library of Asturias, into which the State Public Library was integrated with the organic level of a Section. Since its inauguration in 1987, the Library of Asturias has had its headquarters in the Plaza Daoíz y Velarde, in the Asturian city of Oviedo.