El carácter de la biblioteca de la ilustración al presente

The objective of this paper is to make a comparative analysis to point out the evolution of the library as a building typology.
The Royal Library Paris designed in 1785 by Etienne-Louis Boullée (1642 - 1732) and the new wing of the Hernán Malo Library of the University of Azuay, designed by the team of the architecture and urbanism consultant of the University of Azuay: Arch. Diego Proaño, Arch. Andrea Narvez and Arch. Caridad López, built in Cuenca, Ecuador in 2019, were taken as study case.
The comparative analysis is made from the concept of "character" as a transversal tool that allows to determine the essence that transforms the space in libraries. For this purpose, some of its qualities are selected to use as key elements for the analy-sis, such as light and the configuration of books in space and how this is reflected in the production of the architectural form.
The strategies of each author to develop the above key elements are studied in parallel, which are then related to their historical and social context to understand the influence of time on them. The comparison between strategies will make it easier to recognize points of convergence and divergence in the projects, and also identify the inflection moments between them.
At the same time, the variable of time is introduced to determine how passing of time and progress of society has influenced the character and development of the elements that are conceived as a library.