Facade of the Carlos E. Restrepo Public Library with a colorful mural of a bird and books, standing out against the urban backdrop under a cloudy sky. A library facilitator interacts with a group of children raising their hands in a colorful space that encourages reading and learning. Community garden with plants in the foreground and a colorful mural in the background celebrating nature and collective work in the city. Children's library room with bookshelves, work tables, and colorful chairs in a spacious and bright area for reading and learning. Service and reference area in a library, with service desks, "General Reading Room" signage, and users working in a spacious and organized environment.
  • Description
  • How to get there


The Carlos E. Restrepo Public Library, located in the Antonio Nariño district, is situated in the traditional Restrepo neighborhood, an emblematic area in the central-eastern part of Bogotá that serves the communities of Antonio Nariño, Rafael Uribe Uribe, San Cristóbal, and Puente Aranda.

With 172 reading spaces, the library welcomes approximately 600 users daily to its various rooms: general reading, children's reading, baby reading, literature, graphic arts, training, and internet access. It also features an indoor auditorium and its iconic community garden, "La Siempre Viva" (The Everlasting Flower), located on the building's rooftop. Each seed planted there represents a collective effort that intertwines knowledge about planting, food, ecological practices, and the holistic care of life, with the firm purpose of recognizing the ancestral, healing, spiritual, and everyday value of plants as sources of connection, healing, and memory.

In 2025, the library received an award for cultural and artistic leadership from the Bogotá City Council for its community garden and its contribution to building social, environmental, and cultural awareness through art, culture, and heritage.

The library's collection comprises more than 31,000 volumes, including books, audiovisual materials, and games for all ages, covering a wide range of topics and genres to satisfy visitors' interests. Visitors can also access major newspapers and magazines.

Currently, at the Carlos E. Restrepo Public Library, visitors can frequently enjoy plays, musical performances, poetry readings, art exhibitions and galleries, in addition to its regular cultural programming. It is a library that exists and thrives in the heart of the neighborhood's vibrant daily life, a place where everyone is welcome. This is one of the libraries in the District Network of Public Libraries - BibloRed - that receives the most visits from people experiencing homelessness. Here, in addition to a welcoming space, they find the opportunity to participate and have a voice in the various services and programs in a dignified and inclusive manner.

The library has assistive technology equipment to promote accessibility, including a braille printer that prints braille text on paper, an All Reader scanner that converts printed or scanned text into audio, and a screen magnifier that enlarges text and images.

*The library has bicycle parking for its users.

📍 How to get there


To get to the library by TransMilenio, you must get off at the Restrepo Station, located at Transversal 21A #19-54 south. The trunk routes that stop there mainly include services from lines H (Caracas Sur) and G (NQS Sur), such as H13, H20, H54, and H75.