A national library is established by the government of a nation to serve as the pre-eminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, they rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, or significant works; such as the Gutenberg Bible. National libraries are usually notable for their size, compared to that of other libraries in the same country. Some national libraries may be thematic or specialized in some specific domains, beside or in replacement of the 'main' national library.
Some national entities which are not independent but who wish to preserve their particular culture, have established a national library with all the attributes of such institutions, such as legal deposit.
Many national libraries cooperate within the National Libraries Section of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) to discuss their common tasks, define and promote common standards and carry out projects helping them to fulfil their duties. National libraries of Europe participate in The European Library. This is a service of The Conference of European National Librarians (CENL).
The list below is organized alphabetically by country, according to the list of sovereign states, including, at its end an 'other states' section for non-sovereign states. A "♦" indicates a national library of a province or state, or constituent country or dependent state [ neutrality is disputed ]. It is listed under the sovereign state which governs that entity. Sovereign states are listed even when they have no national library or when the existence and name of a national library could not yet be ascertained. Other states, constituent countries and dependent states are listed only if they have a national library.
Country | Library | City | Legal deposit | Source | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Denmark | Danish Royal Library, The National Library of Denmark and Copenhagen University Library (Det Kongelige Bibliotek) | Copenhagen | Yes [62] | [63] | |
State and University Library (Statsbiblioteket) | Aarhus | Yes [62] | [64] | ||
♦ Faroe Islands | National Library of the Faroe Islands (Føroya landsbókasavn) | Tórshavn | [65] | ||
♦ Greenland | Public and National Library of Greenland (Det Grønlandske Landsbibliotek = Nunatta Atuagaateqarfia) | Nuuk | [66] | ||
Djibouti | National Documentation Centre of Djibouti ( Centre national de documentation de Djibouti ) | Djibouti | [41] | ||
Dominica | National Library of Dominica | Roseau | [67] | ||
Dominican Republic | National Library Pedro Henríquez Ureña (Biblioteca Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña) | Santo Domingo | [68] |
Country | Library | City | Legal deposit | Source | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
East Timor | National Library of East Timor (Biblioteca e Arquivo Nacional de Timor-Leste) | Dili | [69] | ||
Ecuador | National Library of Ecuador (Biblioteca Nacional del Ecuador) | Quito | [70] | ||
Egypt | Egyptian National Library and Archives | Cairo | [71] | ||
Egyptian National Agricultural Library | Giza | [72] | |||
El Salvador | National Library of El Salvador ( Biblioteca Nacional Francisco Gavidia ) | San Salvador | [73] | ||
Equatorial Guinea | National Library of Equatorial Guinea ( Biblioteca Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial ) | Malabo | [74] | ||
Eritrea | Research and Documentation Center of Eritrea | Asmara | [75] | ||
Estonia | National Library of Estonia (Eesti Rahvusraamatukogu) | Tallinn | Yes [76] | [77] | |
Eswatini | Eswatini National Library Service (Mbabane Public Library - ENLS) | Mbabane | [78] [79] | ||
Ethiopia | National Archives and Library of Ethiopia | Addis Ababa | [80] |
Country | Library | City | Legal deposit | Source | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Faroe Islands | → see under Denmark | ||||
Fiji | Library Services of Fiji | Suva | [81] [82] | ||
Finland | National Library of Finland (Kansalliskirjasto = Nationalbibliotek) | Helsinki | [83] | ||
♦ Åland | Mariehamn City Library ( Mariehamns stadsbibliotek ) | Mariehamn | [84] [85] | ||
France | National Library of France (Bibliothèque nationale de France) | Paris | [86] |
Country | Library | City | Legal deposit | Source | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Haiti | National Library of Haiti (Bibliothèque nationale d'Haïti) | Port-au-Prince | [103] | ||
Honduras | Juan Ramón Molina National Library (Biblioteca Nacional Juan Ramón Molina) | Tegucigalpa | [104] | ||
Hong Kong | → see under People's Republic of China | ||||
Hungary | National Széchényi Library (Országos Széchényi Könyvtár) | Budapest | [105] | ||
University of Debrecen Library (Debreceni Egyetemi és Nemzeti Könyvtár) | Debrecen | [106] |
Country | Library | City | Legal deposit | Source | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Iceland | National and University Library of Iceland (Landsbókasafn Íslands Háskólabókasafn) | Reykjavík | Yes | [107] | |
India | National Library of India | Kolkata | Yes | [108] | |
Indonesia | National Library of Indonesia (Perpustakaan Nasional Republik Indonesia) | Central Jakarta | Yes | [109] | |
Iran | National Library of Iran (Ketabkhane-ye Melli-ye Iran) | Tehran | Yes | [110] | |
Malek National Library (Ketabkhane-ye Melli-ye Malek) | [111] | ||||
Iraq | Iraq National Library and Archive | Baghdad | [112] | ||
Ireland | National Library of Ireland = Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann | Dublin | [113] | ||
Isle of Man | → see under United Kingdom | ||||
Israel | National Library of Israel (הספרייה הלאומית) | Jerusalem | Yes | [114] | |
Italy | National Central Library (Florence) (Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale Firenze) | Florence | [115] | ||
National Central Library (Rome) (Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma) | Rome | [116] | |||
Biblioteca Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele III (Biblioteca Nazionale di Napoli) | Naples | [117] |
Country | Library | City | Legal deposit | Source | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jamaica | National Library of Jamaica | Kingston | Yes [118] | [119] | |
Japan | National Diet Library | Tokyo and Kyoto (Kansai-kan) | Yes [120] | [121] | |
Jersey | → see under United Kingdom | ||||
Jordan | National Library of Jordan | Amman | [122] |
Country | Library | City | Legal deposit | Source | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kazakhstan | National Library of Kazakhstan (Қазақстан Республикасының Ұлттық Кітапханасы = Национальная библиотека Республики Казахстан) | Almaty | [123] | ||
Kenya | National Library Service of Kenya | Nairobi | Yes [124] | [125] | |
Kiribati | Kiribati National Library and Archives | Bairiki | [126] | ||
North Korea | Grand People's Study House | Pyongyang | [127] | ||
South Korea | National Library of Korea (국립중앙도서관) | Seoul | [128] | ||
National Digital Library of Korea | [129] | ||||
National Library for Children and Young Adults (국립어린이청소년도서관) | [130] | ||||
Kosovo | → see under Other States | ||||
Kuwait | National Library of Kuwait | Kuwait | [131] | ||
Kyrgyzstan | National Library of the Kyrgyz Republic (Кыргыз Республикасынын Улуттук Китепканасы) | Bishkek | [132] |
Country | Library | City | Legal deposit | Source | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laos | National Library of Laos | Vientiane | [133] | ||
Latvia | National Library of Latvia (Latvijas Nacionālā bibliotēka) | Riga | [134] | ||
Lebanon | Lebanon National Library (المكتبة الو طنية = Bibliothèque Nationale du Liban) | Beirut | [135] | ||
Lesotho | Lesotho National Library Services (Libraries in Lesotho) | Maseru | [136] | ||
Liberia | National Public Library of Liberia ( Liberian kansalliskirjasto ) | Monrovia | [137] | ||
Libya | National Library of Libya | Benghazi | [138] | ||
Liechtenstein | Liechtenstein State Library (Liechtensteinische Landesbibliothek) | Vaduz | [139] | ||
Lithuania | Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania (Lietuvos Nacionalinė Martyno Mažvydo biblioteka) | Vilnius | [140] | ||
Luxembourg | National Library of Luxembourg (Bibliothèque nationale de Luxembourg = Lëtzebuerger Nationalbibliothéik = Nationalbibliothek Luxemburg) | Luxembourg | [141] |
Country | Library | City | Legal deposit | Source | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Namibia | National Library of Namibia | Windhoek | [161] | ||
Nauru | |||||
Nepal | Nepal National Library | Harihar Bhawan, Lalitpur | [162] | ||
Netherlands | Royal Library of the Netherlands (Koninklijke Bibliotheek, lit. "Royal Library") | The Hague | [163] | ||
♦ Aruba | National Library of Aruba (Biblioteca Nacional Aruba) | Oranjestad | [164] | ||
New Zealand | National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa) | Wellington | [165] | ||
♦ Cook Islands | National Library of the Cook Islands Cook Islands Library and Museum Society | Rarotonga | [166] | ||
Nicaragua | National Library of Nicaragua Rubén Darío (Biblioteca Nacional de Nicaragua Rubén Darío) | Managua | [167] | ||
National Health Library (Biblioteca Nacional de Salud) | [168] | ||||
Niger [nb 5] | Direction of the National Archives of Niger (Direction des Archives nationales du Niger) | Niamey | |||
Nigeria | National Library of Nigeria | Lagos | [169] | ||
North... | → see under the second word | ||||
Norway | National Library of Norway (Nasjonalbiblioteket) | Oslo and Mo i Rana | [170] |
Country | Library | City | Legal deposit | Source | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oman | Sultan Qaboos University Library | Muscat | [171] |
Country | Library | City | Legal deposit | Source | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pakistan | National Library of Pakistan | Islamabad | [172] | ||
Palau | Palau Community College Library | Koror | [173] | ||
Panama | National Library of Panama (Biblioteca Nacional de Panamá) | Panama City | [174] | ||
Papua New Guinea | National Library of Papua New Guinea | Port Moresby | [175] | ||
Paraguay | National Library of Paraguay (Biblioteca Nacional del Paraguay) | Asunción | [176] | ||
National Library of Agriculture (Paraguay) (Biblioteca Nacional de Agricultura) | [177] | ||||
Peru | National Library of Peru (Biblioteca Nacional del Perú) | Lima | Yes [178] | [179] | |
Philippines | National Library of the Philippines (Pambansang Aklatan ng Pilipinas) | Manila | Yes | [180] | |
Poland | National Library of Poland [Biblioteka Narodowa] | Warsaw | [181] | ||
Jagiellonian Library [Biblioteka Jagiellońska] | Kraków | [182] | |||
Portugal | Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal [National Library of Portugal or Portuguese National Library] | Lisbon | [183] |
Country | Library | City | Legal deposit | Source | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Qatar | Qatar National Library | Doha | [184] | ||
Quebec | → see under Canada |
Country | Library | City | Legal deposit | Source | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republic of China (Taiwan) | → see under Other States | ||||
Tajikistan | National Firdoussi Library (Национальная библиотека Таджикистана) | Dushanbe | [231] | ||
Tanzania | National Central Library / Tanzania Library Services Board (Bodi Ya Huduma Za Maktaba Tanzania) | Dar es Salaam | [232] [233] [234] | ||
Tatarstan | → see under Russia | ||||
Thailand | National Library of Thailand (หอสมุดแห่งชาติ) | Bangkok | [235] | ||
Togo | National Library of Togo (Bibliothèque nationale du Togo) | Lomé | [236] | ||
Tonga | [No national library] | [237] | |||
Trinidad and Tobago | National Library and Information System | Port of Spain | [238] | ||
Tunisia | National Library of Tunisia (Bibliothèque nationale de Tunisie, المكتبة الوطنية التونسية) | Tunis | [239] | ||
Turkey | National Library of Turkey (Milli Kütüphane) | Ankara | [240] | ||
National Library of İzmir (İzmir Milli Kütüphanesi) | İzmir | [241] | |||
Turkmenistan | State Library of Turkmenistan | Ashgabat | |||
Tuvalu | Tuvalu National Library and Archives | Funafuti |
Country | Library | City | Legal deposit | Source | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vanuatu | National Library of Vanuatu | Port Vila | [259] | ||
Vatican City | Vatican Library (Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana) | Vatican City | [260] | ||
Venezuela | National Library of Venezuela (Biblioteca Nacional de Venezuela) | Caracas | [261] | ||
Vietnam | National Library of Vietnam (Thư Viện Quốc Gia Việt Nam) | Hanoi | Yes [262] | [263] |
Country | Library | City | Legal deposit | Source | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wales | → see under United Kingdom |
Country | Library | City | Legal deposit | Source | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republic of Yemen | National Library of Yemen | Aden |
Country | Library | City | Legal deposit | Source | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Zambia | Zambia Library Service | Lusaka | |||
Zimbabwe | National Archives of Zimbabwe Library | Harare? | [264] |
Country | Library | City | Source | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Abkhazia | I.G. Papaskir National Library of Abkhazia | Sukhumi | [265] | |
Kosovo | National Library of Kosovo (Biblioteka Kombëtare e Kosovës) | Pristina | [266] | |
Northern Cyprus | National Library of Northern Cyprus (Millî Kütüphane) | North Nicosia | [267] | |
Republic of China (Taiwan) | National Central Library (國家圖書館) | Taipei | [268] |
A state library is established by a state to serve as the preeminent repository of information for that region.
Autonomous communities libraries
The member states of the Swiss Confederation are the 26 cantons of Switzerland. The cantonal libraries (German : Kantonsbibliothek, French : Bibliothèque cantonale, Italian : Biblioteca cantonale, Romansh : Biblioteca chantunala) are:
An incunable or incunabulum is a book, pamphlet, or broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500. Incunabula were produced before the printing press became widespread on the continent and are distinct from manuscripts, which are documents written by hand. Some authorities on the history of printing include block books from the same time period as incunabula, whereas others limit the term to works printed using movable type.
The National Library of Belarus is the largest library in the Republic of Belarus, located in Minsk. It houses the largest collection of Belarusian printed materials and the third largest collection of books in Russian behind the Russian State Library (Moscow) and the Russian National Library.
The National Library of Algeria was first established in 1835 by the French colonial government, before becoming Algeria's national library when the country gained its independence in 1962. A new building for the library was constructed during the 1990s to house over a million volumes within the library's collection, which also allowed it to considerably develop its services. Algeria's scientific and technical information needs are ensured by two organizations, the Centre for Technical and Scientific Information and Technology Transfer, the Algerian equivalent of the INIS network, and the National Social and Economic Documentation Centre, established in 1971, which ensures the selection and indexing of automated documentation on the social and economic development of the country and the collection of statistical data.
The National Library of the Kyrgyz Republic is the legal deposit and copyright agency for Kyrgyzstan. It was founded in 1934. It has a collection of 6 million documents in 89 languages from around the world. Since 2005 the head of the Kyrgyz National Library is Dr. Jyldyz Bakashova. According to the website, some of the primary functions of the National Library in Kyrgyzstan are “preserving the cultural wealth and traditions of the peoples of our country, collecting and accumulating human knowledge.”
The Bibliothèque nationale du Burkina Faso is the legal deposit and copyright library for Burkina Faso. It was established on November 6, 1996.
The National Library of Cape Verde is located in Praia, Cape Verde. The library was established in 1999. The library maintains the National Bibliography, contains the country's historical archives and the theses and dissertation bank and is a legal deposit. It also serves as the public library of Praia, the country's capital.
National Library of Ivory Coast is located in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
The National Library of Togo is the national library of Togo and is located in the capital, Lomé.
The Guinea National Library is the national library of Guinea, located in the capital city of Conakry.
The National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco is located in Rabat, Morocco, with a branch in Tetouan. The former Bibliothèque Générale was created in 1924. In 2003, it was renamed the "Bibliothèque nationale du Royaume du Maroc."
The Biblioteca Pública do INEP is the national library of Guinea-Bissau and it is located in Bissau. It is also the biggest public library in the country and serves as library of the Universidade Amílcar Cabral.
The state anthem of the Republic of Chuvashia, also simply referred to as "Oh Motherland", is the regional anthem of Chuvashia, a federal subject of Russia. Officially adopted by the state in 1997, the lyrics were written by Ille Toktash, and the music was composed by German Lebedev.
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