Most of human knowledge in all branches exists only on paper, in books, this paper memory of humanity... Therefore, only a collection of books, a library is the only hope and indestructible memory of the human race...
Schopenhauer
A library is an institution that not only stores information, but also makes it available for public use. Nowadays, library collections increasingly contain not only printed materials, but also electronic media. Repositories can be classified according to various criteria: the number of books, the occupied territory, the number of visitors per year, the number of employees, etc. This rating is based on the size of the library collection that a particular library boasts and is compiled on the basis of data from the free electronic encyclopedia https:// www.wikipedia.org
So the 10 largest libraries.
1 The Library of Congress, Washington, USA - 155.3. million copies
The building of this largest library consists of four huge parts, it contains the largest number of library copies in the world. At the same time, books, records, maps, and manuscripts in more than 46 languages of the world are collected here. But in terms of the number of readers visiting this repository of knowledge, the library ranks only fourth - 1.7 million people per year.
2 The British Library, London, UK – 150.0 million copies.
The largest public book depository in Europe ranks second in terms of the number of visitors - 2.29 million people per year. In addition to books, periodicals, and audio recordings, its collections contain 57 million patents.
3 New York Public Library, New York, USA – 53.1 million copies.
First in terms of number of visitors. More than 16 million readers come here every year. Its library collection is replenished weekly with more than 10,000 titles of various publications.
4 Canadian Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Canada - 48.0 million copies.
Judging by the contents of the collections of this archive-library, its main task is the collection and storage of the cultural heritage of Canadians. It houses about 350 thousand works of art and a large collection of Canadian musical folklore. Its storage contains more than 3 million megabytes of electronic sources.
The famous State Library of the USSR named after V.I. Lenin (GBL) was renamed in 1992. In 2012, 8.4 million hits were registered, and the number of regular readers was 93.1 thousand people.
6 Russian National Library, St. Petersburg, Russia – 36.9 million copies.
One of the first book depositories in Eastern Europe. The Imperial Public Library was founded by order of Catherine II in 1795. The unofficial name is “Publicka”.
7 National Diet Library of Japan (Japanese: Kokuritsu Kokkai Toshokan), Tokyo-Kyoto, Japan – 35.7 million copies.
It has two main branches - in Tokyo and Kyoto. The goals and capabilities of this only Japanese state book depository are comparable to the US Library of Congress.
8 Royal Danish Library (Dat. Det Kongelige Bibliotek), Copenhagen, Denmark – 33.3 million copies.
Founded in 1648, it acquired public status already in 1793. The oldest manuscripts of Martin Luther, Immanuel Kant, and Thomas More are kept here. In 1999, an additional building was built in the Art Nouveau style (made of black granite and glass), called the “Black Diamond,” which houses a large concert hall.
9 National Library of China, Beijing, China – 31.2 million copies.
The largest library in China is available to visitors 365 days a year and provides 24-hour online access to library collections. It is third in the world in terms of the number of visitors per year - 5.2 million people. Serves about 12 thousand readers daily.
10 National Library of France (French Bibliothèque Nationale or BNF), Paris, France - 31.0 million copies.
The oldest library in Europe already in the 14th century contained 1,200 manuscripts, and in 1622 its first catalog was created, after which it became public. In terms of the number of visitors per year, it ranks fifth in the world - 1.3 readers per year.
“Read,” advises Paulo Coelho, “and you will fly!”
The book is one of the most valuable inventions of mankind. Since ancient times, people have sought to systematize and replenish their book stocks by creating special book depositories - libraries. This tradition has been preserved to this day. In this article we will talk about the largest libraries in the world.
1. Library of Congress
The largest library in the world is located in Washington. It was created in 1800 and initially consisted of only 740 books and 3 geographical maps. Now the total number of fund units is about 160 million. This figure increases by several thousand every day. The huge book depository contains literature written in 420 languages, including 300 thousand books in Russian. There are also secret funds. The library has 18 reading rooms and 3.5 thousand employees work on a permanent basis. Access to this unique collection is open to everyone over 16 years of age.
2. British Library
Another of the world's largest book depositories is located in London. The basis of the library was the rich collection of books collected by Sir Hans Sloan in the 18th century. It acquired its current status and name in the 70s of the last century in connection with the adoption of a new Law that united the British Museum library, the National Central Library and several other book collections. Today, a total of 150 million items are stored here - books, manuscripts, geographical maps, files of magazines and newspapers, including valuable collections and unique ancient specimens.
3. New York Public Library
Another large library, founded at the end of the 20th century, is located in New York. It consists of a main branch and more than 70 branches scattered throughout the city. The use of most of the book stock is free for anyone. The total number of copies of the book depository exceeds 53 million units, among which there are many rare and especially valuable exhibits. In addition to its unique book collection, the New York Library is famous for its rich and luxurious architecture. Many famous movies were filmed in this building.
4. Library and Archives Canada
The government body that collects and stores documents on the history, culture and political activities of Canada is located in Ottawa. Its leader is officially considered the Librarian and Archivist of Canada and holds the position of Deputy Minister. The rich collection of funds of this institution numbers over 20 million items. The entire documentary heritage of the country is stored here: books, documents, magazines and newspapers. There are special rooms for works of art, architectural sketches, photographs, audio recordings and all films released in Canadian distribution.
5. Russian State Library
The largest library in Russia and one of the largest in the world. It was created in July 1862 on the basis of the collection of the Rumyantsev Museum and is located in the Central District of Moscow. The total volume of the book depository is almost 47 million items in 367 languages of the world, among which there are unique handwritten books: the Arkhangelsk Gospel of the 11th century, the Khitrovo Gospel of the 14-15th centuries, printed books of the 16th century, editions of the works of A. Dante, G. Bruno and N. Copernicus. In addition to an extensive collection of books, the library houses special collections of newspapers, maps, sheet music, audio recordings and dissertations.
6. Russian National Library
The second largest book depository in Russia, located in St. Petersburg. The creation project was approved under Catherine II, but its official opening took place only in 1814 and was timed to coincide with the arrival of the Russian Emperor Alexander I. Nowadays, the library’s collection includes more than 35.5 million items - books, magazines, newspapers, official documents, geographical maps. Here is a unique and extensive collection of books by the French thinker Voltaire, numbering more than 6,800 volumes. At one time, it was purchased by the Russian Empress Catherine II from the philosopher’s niece.
7. National Diet Library (Tokyo)
Another largest library, one of the largest book depositories in the world, is located in Tokyo. Founded in the mid-20th century for representatives of the Japanese Diet, with an initial holding of only one hundred thousand volumes, it constantly replenished its literary stock. Now the total volume of the book depository is about 35 million units. Copies of almost all printed materials published in this country are stored here - books, periodicals, geographical maps, CDs, as well as an extensive and varied collection of literature in foreign languages.
8. Royal Danish Library
The Royal Danish Library is one of the largest book depositories in the Scandinavian countries and throughout the world. The library was founded in the mid-17th century, and in 1793 public access was opened here. Its extensive collection contains all works published in the country since the 17th century. The first Danish book, dated 1482, is also kept here. In total, the book depository contains more than 35 million items. Among them are many historical and unique publications - medieval manuscripts, a rich collection of ancient maps, musical notes, photographs, diaries of famous people.
9. National Library of China
The largest library in China, occupying the fifth largest area in the world. Founded in 1909, located in Beijing. The volume of all library collections is almost 28 million units. Of these, there are more than 10 million books in 115 languages, including the world's largest collection of Chinese literature, as well as an impressive number of valuable historical documents and ancient manuscripts. Its collection includes a variety of periodicals, dissertations, geographical maps, video and sound recordings, films and others. The library is always open to the public.
10. National Library of France
One of the largest libraries in Europe and the whole world is located in Paris. It was founded back in the 14th century. At that time, its collection amounted to 1200 manuscripts. For a long time it belonged personally to the French ruling dynasty, and in the 17th century it was open to free visitors. Since then, the library's collection has been actively replenished with books and manuscripts in different languages of the world. Now the total stock of the book depository is more than 30 million units and continues to grow. In addition to the largest collection of French literature in the world, it includes many interesting exhibits: ancient manuscripts, geographical maps and engravings, photographs, coins and even costumes.
There are an unimaginable number of libraries in the world. Each of them is unique. Among these there are those that amaze us with their size. We have collected the most famous of them.
1. Library of Congress
Holding the title of the largest library in the world, this library is a scientific building intended for political and scientific fields, research, schools and even private firms. Built on April 24, 1800 by order of US President George Adams. At first, only the president, vice president and members of Congress had access to its funds, which is where its name comes from. It contains about 30 million copies of books and other types of printed documents, 58 million ancient manuscripts, 4.8 million different maps and 12 million different photographs.
2. British Library
Built under the direction of the British Parliament in 1972, the huge number of books available is constantly being replenished. This famous library contains such interesting documents as the manuscripts of Leonard da Vinci, the Codex Sinaiticus and the first printed edition of the map of the New World.
3. New York Public Library
Quite a large library, built in 1895. A private, non-commercial building with the mission of disseminating the information that is stored in it. It includes the Science Library, art centers and many other businesses. About 18 million people visit this library every year.
4.Harvard University Library
Opened in 1638. The main goal of this institution is to maintain the knowledge and scientific research of students. It is the largest academic library in the United States. Funds most of the scientific projects of university teachers and students.
5. Google Books
This is the largest and most popular electronic library in the world. It was created as an experiment by Google. As a result, it became what you can see it now. It contains 130 million books. Most of these books have already been translated into more than 480 languages. About 20% of the books available in the world are already in it. Now its creators plan to continue working until all the books are in their library. And since new books by young writers are constantly being published, their work will never end.
6.Trinity College Library
This library surprises us not only with how much different information it contains, but also with its extraordinary beauty. Thanks to such a successful design, it attracts more visitors and makes it more pleasant to be in.
These are the main libraries that will forever remain in your memory if you visit them at least once. You may remember them both for the unique publications they contain and for their unique beauty and grandeur.
Before the advent of gadgets, people obtained the information they were interested in exclusively in libraries. The largest library in the world is the American Library of Congress. Its collection includes 155 million copies of books, manuscripts, maps and other materials. The institution serves 1.8 million visitors annually. It has 3,600 employees. Below are the 5 largest libraries on Earth.
The honorary title of the largest library is held by the US National Library - the scientific library of Congress, serving research enterprises, government agencies, industrial companies, private firms, and schools.
The library was founded in 1800 by order of President John Adams. Only members of the Senate and Congress, the president, and the vice president had access to its resources. At the time of its founding, the library's collection included 745 books and 3 maps of America.
In 1814, the library building burned down. To restore it, Congress purchased from Thomas Jefferson his personal collection of 6,487 books. In 1851, the library survived a second fire. $170,000 was allocated from the budget for its restoration.
After reconstruction, ministers, judges, heads of departments, some representatives of political parties, scientists, writers, and journalists from reputable media received access to the resources of the Library of Congress. Since 1870, the library has been required to receive one copy of all public publications published in the United States. In 1930 the library received the title of national.
The Library of Congress occupies four buildings: the Main Building, the John Adams Building, the James Madison Memorial Building (including the Mary Pickford Theater), and the Video and Audio Preservation Center.
The library consists of 18 reading rooms, which can simultaneously accommodate 1,460 visitors. Its fund consists of 156 million storage units, of which: 30 million books in 470 languages, 58 million manuscripts, 12.6 million photos, 4.9 million maps, 500,000 videos, 2.7 million audio recordings, newspapers from all over the world, government publications. The volume of funds in digital form is approaching 20 terabytes. Budget – $130 million.
By merging the libraries of the British Museum, the Patent Office, the National Bureau of Technical and Scientific Information, and the Council for National Bibliography, the British Library was created - the second largest after the Library of Congress. The library has three branches, access to its reading rooms is free, and readers over 18 years of age are allowed to access the resources.
The British Library collection has 152 million items, which occupy 625 km of shelves. The annual increase is 12 km. Total area – 112,000 sq. km. The main building consists of 14 floors, 5 of them underground. The library serves 16,000 visitors every day, and is visited by 2.3 million readers every year. The state employs about 2,000 employees. Budget: £141 million.
The British Library stores unique publications: manuscripts, the first printed map of the New World, Buddhist manuscripts, the Lindisfar Gospel, Codex Sinaiticus, etc.
Since 1895, the library in New York has existed as a private, non-profit public organization. It is considered the most extensive library in the world. It consists of 87 divisions, of which: 77 branches, 4 buildings with reading rooms, 4 buildings providing subscription books, divisions for people with disabilities. The volume of funds is 53.5 million units, of which more than 20 million are books.
The institution serves 18 million visitors annually. Visiting the halls is free for everyone. The state employs 3,200 employees. The New York Library maintains a special patrol unit that monitors order in its various branches and ensures their safety.
4. Library and Archives Canada
In 2004, through the merger of the National Archives and the National Library of Canada, a government department was founded, responsible for collecting and storing the country's documentary heritage. The library building is located in Ottawa on an area of 52.6 square meters and occupies 5 floors. 13.2 million Canadian dollars were allocated for its construction.
The library's collection includes 48 million items. It houses 350,000 works of art, 22 million photographs, 72,000 hours of video footage, and Canada's largest collection of folk music. The institution's electronic database occupies 3.2 million MB.
The director of the Library and Archives of Canada is Daniel Caron, who occupies the chair of deputy minister. He was also awarded the title of Archivist and Librarian of Canada.
On the basis of the Moscow Public and Rumyantsev Museums, the National Library of the Russian Federation was created in 1862, which is also a leading research enterprise in the field of book science, bibliography, library science, a methodological center for Russian libraries, and a center for recommendatory bibliography. The RSL has had its current name since 1992.
The Russian State Library consists of 8 departments and 2 editorial divisions:
- fund system management;
- management of specialized departments;
- information management for the Khimki complex;
- directory system management;
- automation management;
- information resources management;
- Information Technology Department;
- technical support department;
- magazine "Oriental Collection";
- editorial and publishing department.
The volume of the library's collections is 44.8 million items. Its resources are used annually by 1.5 million visitors, who are served by 38 reading rooms with a capacity of 1,746 people. The RSL publishes its own scientific publications. Open to everyone.
The RSL carries out book exchange with 550 partners in 63 countries. Since 1956 it has been the depositary library of UNESCO. In 1992, the RSL became the headquarters of the Eurasian Library Assembly. In 2009, she received gratitude from the President of Russia for her contribution to the restoration and preservation of the heritage of Russian culture and history.
In the new year, many will probably set a goal to read more) You need to live several lives in this library to read at least half of the books. TravelAsk will tell you about the largest library in the world.
The main center of US science
The US Library of Congress is the largest in the world. It is located in Washington, and its collection exceeds 155 million books in 470 languages. In addition, manuscripts, audio recordings and films are stored here. And she is also one of the most beautiful. It contains literature of a different nature, ranging from schools and research organizations to literature for government agencies.
The library has 18 reading rooms; they can accommodate almost 1,500 people a day. And if we talk about numbers in general, approximately 1.7 million readers visit the library every year, and 3,600 employees work here.
The history of the largest library
The library was founded on April 24, 1800, just as Washington became the capital. Then a considerable amount was allocated for the creation of the first fund: 5 thousand dollars. They purchased more than 700 books that were intended for members of Congress. They gave the name to the library.
Less than 15 years later, the library was destroyed during the Anglo-American War. Then almost the entire collection was completely burned, including the most valuable books. But after the war ended, former President Thomas Jefferson sold his collection for $24,000. It contained more than 6 thousand unique books that he collected for half a century. Thus began the revival of the library. By the way, the main building was named after him.
However, the troubles did not end there: in 1851, there was another severe fire in the library, so it had to be restored again.
Unique collections
In the 20th century, the Library of Congress was supplemented by two branch buildings, one named after its founder and second president, John Adams, and the other, fourth president James Madison. The buildings are connected to each other by passages.
The library's collections are actually unique, at least because there are more than 5.5 thousand ancient books - incunabula - that were published in the first centuries after the invention of printing. In addition, there are huge collections of literature in other languages.
Thus, the Library of Congress contains the largest collection of Russian literature outside of Russia. In 1907, the management bought 81 thousand copies of books and magazines from the Krasnoyarsk bibliophile and merchant G.V. Yudina. Yudin was worried that with the beginning of the revolution and unrest in the country, his library would be lost, so he was forced to sell it. Nicholas II refused to purchase it due to lack of funds. From then on, the collection of Russian literature began to be replenished.
All collections have been transferred into digital format for several years now, but this is a very labor-intensive process. If the entire fund is converted into electronic form, then approximately 20 terabytes will be required for storage.
How the library is replenished
Back in the 19th century, the government passed a law stating that any book published in the United States must be transferred to the Library of Congress in at least one copy. Every day the library is replenished by approximately 15 thousand items, including those donated. Thus, the annual increase in literary copies here is about 3 million.
Today the collection is so huge that if all the shelves were lined up in one row, their length would be almost 1.5 thousand kilometers. A lifetime is not enough to read at least a third of these books.
In addition to books, it houses 68 million manuscripts, 5 million maps (the largest collection of maps in the world), more than 3.4 million records and more than 13.5 million photographs. And, of course, comics, where would the USA be without them? There are more than 100 thousand of them, this is the largest collection in the country and, perhaps, in the world.
Interesting facts about the largest library in the world
Fact #1. The Library of Congress has the largest collection of 15th-century books in the Western Hemisphere. It also contains one of only three known copies of the Gutenberg Bible. It was with her that the history of printing began in the 1450s.
Fact #2. The Library of Congress has maintained a special collection of books for the blind since 1931.
Fact #3. In addition to comics and maps, there is also the world's largest collection of telephone directories.
Fact #4. Since 2006, the library has been collecting and archiving every public tweet.
Fact #5. The library spends about $100,000 on light bulbs each year.
Fact #6. Every day, except Sunday, the library offers free tours lasting about 45 minutes.
And even the largest libraries in the world
As for the top three, second place is occupied by the British Library in London, whose collection is not far ahead: 150 million copies. Third place is occupied by the New York Public Library, with 53 million items. By the way, it is visited annually by a record number of people - 18 million readers. As for Russian libraries, the Russian State Library of Moscow and the Russian National Library of St. Petersburg are in 5th and 6th place with 45 and 37 million copies, respectively.
