The Biblioteca Popular Municipal de Botafogo (Popular Municipal Library of Botafogo), established in 1956, contains a vast and impressive collection of texts, from children's books to sources for scientific research and foreign language works - It is situated in a beautiful, 1929 neo-classical building, built by the Castro Maya family - In 1996 the building was expanded to include an annex which homes an auditorium with a 60 person capacity.

The patron of the library is Machado de Assis, who is considered one of the most important names in Brazilian literature, famous for classics, such as O Alienista, Dom Casmurro, Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas (Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas) and Quincas Borba.