To publish is to make content available to the general public. While specific use of the term may vary among countries, it is usually applied to text, images, or other audio-visual content, including paper. Publication means the act of publishing, and also any copies issued for public distribution.
The National Library of South Africa is the agency of the government of South Africa which maintains a national library of all published materials relating to the country.
Legal deposit is a legal requirement that a person or group submit copies of their publications to a repository, usually a library. The number of copies required varies from country to country. Typically, the national library is the primary repository of these copies. In some countries there is also a legal deposit requirement placed on the government, and it is required to send copies of documents to publicly accessible libraries.
The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act 1960 for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the Australian people", thus functioning as a national library. It is located in Parkes, Canberra, ACT.
The National Library of Ireland is Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The mission of the National Library of Ireland is "To collect, preserve, promote and make accessible the documentary and intellectual record of the life of Ireland and to contribute to the provision of access to the larger universe of recorded knowledge."
The Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec or BAnQ is a Quebec government agency which manages the province's legal deposit system, national archives, and national library. Located at the Grande Bibliothèque in Montreal, the BAnQ was created by the merging of the Bibliothèque nationale du Québec and the Archives nationales du Québec in 2006. The Bibliothèque nationale du Québec had previously merged with the Grande Bibliothèque du Québec in 2002.
The Biblioteca Nacional de España is a major public library, the largest in Spain, and one of the largest in the world. It is located in Madrid, on the Paseo de Recoletos.
The National Library of Colombia is a national library located in Bogota, Colombia. The library is a dependency of the Colombian Ministry of Culture.
The California State Library is the state library of the State of California, founded in 1850 by the California State Legislature. The Library collects, preserves, generates and disseminates a wide array of information. Today, it is the central reference and research library for state government and the Legislature. The California State Library advises, consults with and provides technical assistance to California's public libraries. It directs state and federal funds to support local public libraries and statewide library programs, including Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grants. The California State Library's mission is to serve as "...the state’s information hub, preserving California’s cultural heritage and connecting people, libraries and government to the resources and tools they need to succeed and to build a strong California." With the exception of the Sutro Library in the J. Paul Leonard Library at San Francisco State University, the other two branches are located in Sacramento, California, at 914 Capitol Mall and 900 N Street. A third branch, located in the California State Capitol, closed in 2020 in preparation for the demolition of the Annex and is expected to return when the new building is completed.
The State Library of Tasmania is the reference, special collections, research and public lending library in the Tasmanian capital of Hobart, Australia. It is part of Libraries Tasmania. Libraries Tasmania includes a state-wide network of library services, community learning, adult literacy and the State’s archives and heritage services.
The Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal is the Portuguese national library.
National and University Library in Zagreb (NSK) is the national library of Croatia and central library of the University of Zagreb.
The National Library of Estonia is a national public institution in Estonia, which operates pursuant to the National Library of Estonia Act. It was established as the parliamentary library of Estonia on December 21, 1918.
The National Library of Moldova located in Chișinău, Moldova is the main library of the state which is responsible for conservation, valorization and protection of written cultural heritage. The National Library operates according to the guiding principles of UNESCO referring to this type of libraries, it is part of the European Digital Library. Founded in 1940, it traces its roots to the Gubernatorial Public Library of Bessarabia established in 1832. At present, the National Library is one of the objectives with great value of the national patrimony and presents the treasure written and printed cultural heritage of the country. Library ensures wide public access to its collections for research, study and / or information. The Director General is Elena Pintilei.
The Kenya National Library Service (KNLS) is a corporate body of the Kenyan government with a mandate to "promote, establish, equip, manage, maintain and develop libraries in Kenya". In its service provision, knls plays a dual role of Public Library and National library of Kenya.
The National Library of Malaysia (PNM) is a library established under the National Library Act 1972 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The King Fahad National Library is the legal deposit and copyright library for Saudi Arabia. KFNL was established in 1983 in response to an initiative made by the people of Riyadh when King Fahd ascended the throne. The project was announced in 1983 and the implementation started in 1986. Now to this day, the library is known for its sustainability and up-to-date energy concepts.
A digital library is an online database of digital objects that can include text, still images, audio, video, digital documents, or other digital media formats or a library accessible through the internet. Objects can consist of digitized content like print or photographs, as well as originally produced digital content like word processor files or social media posts. In addition to storing content, digital libraries provide means for organizing, searching, and retrieving the content contained in the collection. Digital libraries can vary immensely in size and scope, and can be maintained by individuals or organizations. The digital content may be stored locally, or accessed remotely via computer networks. These information retrieval systems are able to exchange information with each other through interoperability and sustainability.
The Women's Library and Information Centre Foundation (WLICF) is the first and only women's library in Turkey. It was founded in Istanbul in 1989 and opened on April 14, 1990, mainly to assist research on the history of women. The library has assigned itself the mission of acquiring, protecting, and preserving the women-centred intellectual capital in Turkey with an emphasis on improving accessibility of information.
The National and University Library "St. Kliment Ohridski" in Skopje was one of the first institutions established by the decision of the Anti-Fascist Assembly of the National Liberation of Macedonia (ASNOM) on 23 November 1944.
