If you read a lot, you can occasionally feel that your bookshelf doesn’t have enough room for all the titles you’d like to retain. You can also think that you never have enough books, or that the public libraries in your neighborhood don’t have enough books and other reading materials to satisfy your bookworm demands properly. So stop looking now! Bookstr lists ten of the greatest library collections in the world for you if you’ve ever wondered where the best reading retreats are to escape to and get access to some of the most sought-after books, manuscripts, and literary artifacts in the world.
National Library of France- Paris, France
The National Library of France welcomes around 40 million physical and digital objects and over 1.5 million visitors annually. The structure itself is rather old, dating back to the 14th century when it served as a library for French kings and royalty before opening to the general people in the 17th century. The library, a significant structure in French history, also houses a sizable collection of historical documents and manuscripts, including everything written in France.
Fortunately, given that it is currently one of the largest libraries in the world, the Library did not suffer any losses during the French Revolution despite the risk and threat of its collection’s destruction.
National Library of China- Beijing, China
The National Library of China is run by 1500 staff members and houses about 37.7 million materials in total. Readers may discover a wide variety of history and literature from China’s historic dynasties in this library, ranging from the Southern Song Dynasty of the 13th century through the Ming and Qing collections of the 17th century. Writings from countless years ago may be found in a wide range of languages and media.
There are four separate complexes in this library where you may get books and information. The National Library of China is a public library, therefore the general public has access to these texts and information sources.
Royal Library– Copenhagen, Denmark
The University of Copenhagen’s Royal Library is the biggest library in the Nordic region, with over 42.5 physical pieces (not including digital ones)! The library has copies of all of Denmark’s printed works since the 1600s as well as a range of historical documents. Additionally, you can locate the library’s five locations as well as a sizable collection of contributions.
However, its extensive collection of books, manuscripts, and artifacts is exclusively accessible to adults over the age of 18, and there are restrictions on who can use and access its treasures as well as access to its reading material.
National Diet Library- Tokyo, Japan
The National Diet Library, which was built in 1948, has around 44.1 million items, including research resources for the National Diet of Japan. Consider the Library of Congress in the USA! The nation’s main libraries are located in Kyoto and Tokyo, respectively, and several other branches are spread out over the country. It has sizable collections centered on a range of topics and languages and contains copies of every publication ever printed in Japan. One crucial component of Japan’s post-World War II democratization is considered to be the Diet Library system.
Russian State Library- Moscow, Russia
With almost 47.5 million items, the Russian State Library is Russia’s biggest library. The library, which has copies of every book produced in the USSR, is legitimately regarded as a legal deposit library. The 1860s-era Library underwent several name changes. The Library of the Moscow Public Museum and Rumiantsev Museum, often known as The Rumiantsev Library or more affectionately as Leninka, was first recognized as Moscow’s first free public library. It was known as the V.I. Lenin State Library of the USSR from 1925 until 1992 when President Boris Yeltsin changed its name to the Russian State Library.
Also read: Some of the oldest books still in existence
Library and Archives Canada- Ottawa, Canada
With over 54 million visits, Library and Archives Canada (commonly known as LAC) is a government organization in Canada tasked with safeguarding and facilitating access to the nation’s documentary legacy. Even though the organization was founded in 2004, less than 20 years ago, it is home to more than a petabyte of digital data and resources! The LAC’s stated mission has been to conserve Canada’s documentary history for present and future generations as a source of open information for the general public and to carry on the memory of the Canadian government.
