Libraries play an important role in preserving all the cultural achievements of mankind. They store valuable copies of books and other information in both physical and virtual form. They are always available to society as a huge storehouse of knowledge.
We know the sad fate of the Library of Alexandria, destroyed in the III century. This was and remains an irreplaceable loss for all of humanity.
But today we will present the largest libraries of our time, the most important cultural centers of different countries.
1
Boston Public Library
The Boston Public Library is one of the most significant in the United States. By the size of the book fund, it is in third place after the New York Library and the Library of Congress. It contains valuable scientific works from around the world in many languages. Many copies are only in a single copy.
2
Berlin State Library
The Berlin State Library acts as a universal collector of information. In 2012, there were more than 12 million books, 26,000 periodicals and more than 2.7 million documentary chronicles.
It also houses famous historical illustrated books such as the Guttenberg Bible, Goethe's autograph collection, original manuscripts by Sebastian Bach, Mozart and the score of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
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3
Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences
The RAS Library was founded back in 1714 in St. Petersburg by order of Peter I and was included in the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. This is one of the largest libraries in Russia, which is funded by the state. Since 1783, all academic institutions and private publishing houses were required to transfer one copy of the published books.
4
German National Library
The German National Library was specially created in 1913 to collect publications and books in German and archive them. Also, publications in other languages are collected here, but which relate to the German language. All materials have public access. As we know, it was in Germany that the first printed book was published.
Currently, the institution has two branches: in Frankfurt and in Leipzig. Each branch is responsible for collecting a certain type of information. There was also a third branch in Berlin, where they collected audio material, but then it was combined with a branch in Leipzig in 2010.
5
National Library of Spain
The National Library of Spain is the oldest and largest in the country. It was founded by King Philip V in 1712. Then he issued a decree, which obliged all publishers and writers to submit copies of manuscripts, and then prints, to the library.
As a national library, valuable information about the cultural heritage of Spain for posterity was to be collected in it. Now the fund stores more than 15 million books, 4.5 million paintings and images, as well as more than half a million sound recordings and other materials.
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6
Royal Library of Denmark
The Royal Library of Denmark is the largest in the Northern Region. It was founded by King Frederick III in the 7th century. Since then, a copy of almost every printed work in the country has been kept in the library. Thanks to donations to the fund, it now has almost all the printed works ever published in Denmark, including the first printed book of Johann Snellaot from 1428.
In 2015, the library's collection totaled 35.4 million different sources, of which almost 20 million documents and images, 6.4 million books and magazines, as well as various brochures, corporate publications and other artifacts. And also in the library digitized 791 terabytes of the book fund.
7
National Library of China
The National Library of China is the fourth largest in Asia and the largest in China. It was opened in 1912 immediately after the Xinhai Revolution, and four years later received the status of a national depository library, which also obliged all publishers in the country to donate one copy of books. In 1928, the name was changed to the National Paging Library, but already in 1987 the official name of the National Library of China was fixed.
It contains works of Chinese literature, ancient parchments and manuscripts, official UN publications, painted bones and shells, and a huge number of historical documents. Due to the special value of many materials, they are not publicly available.
8
National Russian Library
The National Russian Library is located in St. Petersburg and is the country's oldest public library. She is in second place in terms of book stock. A huge number of books and documents of the country's cultural and national heritage are stored here.
In total, the library has 36 million various items, 15 million of which are books. The rest of the collection consists of official documents, newspapers, magazines, maps, manuscripts, sound recordings and other media.
9
National Library of France
The National Library of France acts as the official repository of all publications in the country. She appeared during the foundation of the Royal Library by King Charles V in the palace of the Louvre in 1368. The modern premises of the institution were built in 1998 under President Francois Mitterrand as a result of the expansion of the building. The library has a digital department, which stores 4 million digitized documents and 50,000 audio recordings.
10
National Parliamentary Library of Japan
The National Parliamentary Library of Japan was created in 1948 after the unification of the House of Representatives and the House of Peers to create a single legislative body. The institution has two branches: in Tokyo and Kyoto.
Being the national library of Japan, it contains a huge collection of national and international publications in different languages. Now it contains 30 million documents of the post-war occupation of Japan. And also more than half a million scientific books and 440,000 maps of Japan and the world.
11
Russian State Library
The Russian State Library, located in Moscow, is the largest in the country. Founded on July 1, 1862, it is also the oldest in the Russian capital. The library holds 44 million items, of which 17 million are books, 13 million are magazines and documents in 247 different languages.
From the 1920s until the collapse of the USSR in 1991, a copy of every book published in the country was transferred to the library. This practice is still in use and is required by law to provide a required copy of each book or magazine.
12
Library and Archive of Canada
The Library and Archive of Canada is a Canadian government agency that is responsible for obtaining and preserving Canada’s cultural heritage and making all materials accessible to the public. In 2004, under the Canadian Library and Archives Act, the National Library of Canada and the National Archives of Canada were merged into the LAC.
It contains more than 20 million books, a huge collection of 24 million images and digital data of more than 1000 terabytes. The library digitized very important documents that are closed from viewing due to their importance and safety. This applies to the Constitution Act of Canada and the British North America Act.
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13
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is a network of public libraries located in New York. Based on the total number of cataloged items, it is the third largest library in the world and the second largest in the United States. Thanks to its openness and accessibility, more than 18 million people come here every year, which makes it the most visited library in the world.
There are currently 87 branches throughout the city, of which 39 are in Manhattan, 35 in the Bronx and the rest in Staten Island. A new Manhattan branch was recently opened in June 2016. In total, it has four open access research libraries.
The digital library collection contains more than 700 thousand copies from various library collections. In 2006, her site entered the Top 50 of the best and most visited sites in the world according to Time magazine. In the same year, he also received an award for the best research site from an international delegation of museum specialists.
14
British library
The British Library is located on Euston Road in London and is one of the largest research libraries in the world. Until its founding in 1973, it was part of the British Museum, which was eventually combined with several smaller institutions, such as the National Central Library, to create a single national library in England.
Her most important historical collection includes many rare manuscripts by Sir Hans Sloan and Robert Jarley. Its foundation also includes the Royal Library (a collection of books compiled by King George III) and the Old Royal Library.
The British Library is widely represented on the Internet. Her online gallery provides anyone with access to over 30,000 copies from ancient and medieval books. All virtual books and documents can be flipped through like real books.
15
Library of Congress
The famous Library of Congress is without a doubt the largest in the world. It is also the oldest and one of the largest cultural institutions in the United States. Most of the items collected here are from around the world in more than 450 languages. According to its official website, about two-thirds of all books purchased each year are published in foreign languages.
Now 38 million printed materials, about 3.6 million sound recordings, 14 million images, 70 million rare manuscripts and about 5.5 million cards are stored here. It also contains millions of declassified or special documents.
Each year, the library receives about $ 6 million specifically for digitization. In our time, about 15 million copies have been digitized, however, they make up less than 10% of the total library stock.