Search results
People also ask
What is the largest library in the world?
What is the largest library in Europe?
Where can I find the largest library collections in the world?
What is the fifth largest library in the world?
This sortable list of largest libraries includes libraries that, as measured in 2008 or subsequently, store 15 million or more items. All figures are based on data published by the libraries themselves.
NameCountryLocationCatalogued Size (number Of Items)London and Boston Spa [1]_0180000000 170–200 million [2][3][4]Washington, D.C. -reference access only & ..._0168000000 175 million+ [7]_0044400000 126.1 million [9]_0050000000 58 million [11]- Library of Congress. Number of Items in Catalogue: 167 million+ Location: Washington, D.C., USA. Visitors Per Year: about 1.9 million. Year Opened: April 24, 1800.
- British Library. Number of Items in Catalogue: 150 million+ Location: London, England, United Kingdom. Visitors Per Year: 1.48 million. Year Opened: July 1, 1973.
- New York Public Library. Number of Items in Catalogue: 55 million+ Location: New York City, New York, USA. Visitors Per Year: 17.3 million. Year Opened: May 23, 1911.
- Library and Archives Canada. Number of Items in Catalogue: 54 million+ Location: Ottawa, Canada. Visitors Per Year: Unspecified. Year Opened: 2004 (year that the National Archives of Canada and the National Library of Canada were combined)
- National Library of China- Beijing, China
- National Library of France- Paris, France
- Royal Library– Copenhagen, Denmark
- National Diet Library- Tokyo, Japan
- Russian State Library- Moscow, Russia
- Library and Archives Canada- Ottawa, Canada
- New York Public Library- New York, United States
- Shanghai Library- Shanghai, China
- Library of Congress- Washington DC, USA
- British Library – London, United Kingdom
The National Library of China contains over 37.7 million items total, and is managed by 1.5 thousand staff members! In this library, readers will find a rich diversity of history and literature from China’s ancient dynasties, including the Southern Song Dynasty from the 13th century to collections of Ming and Qing dynasties of the 17th centuries. Y...
With over 40 million items, both digital and physical, the National Library of France acquires approximately 1.5 million visitors per year! The building itself is pretty historical, traced to the 14th century as a library for French monarchs and royalty, before being open to the public by the 17th century! As a prominent building of French history,...
As the largest library of all the Nordic countries, the Royal Library belongs to the University of Copenhagen, with over 42.5 physical items, not including digital! The library contains a variety of historical documents and a copy of all of Denmark’s printed works since the 1600s! You can also find an extensive collection of donations and the libra...
Built in 1948, the National Diet Library contains over 44.1 million items, with research materials for Japan’s National Diet. Think of the United States Library of Congress! The country’s national library has two different main facilities in Kyoto and Tokyo, but also contains multiple different branches throughout Japan. It holds copies of every pu...
The Russian State Library is Russia’s largest library, with over 47.5 million items! The library is lawfully considered a legal deposit library, with copies of every published book of the USSR. Built in the 1860s, the Library underwent multiple name changes. It was originally recognized as Moscow’s first free public library, The Library of the Mosc...
The Library and Archives Canada is also known as the LAC, with over 54 million times as a Canadian federal institution with the responsibility to preserve and provide accessibility to the country’s documentary heritage! It is a generally new institution, established less than 20 years ago in 2004, but it contains over a petabyte worth of digital in...
The New York Public Library, founded in 1895, contains over 55 million items as a non-profit private institution that thrives off private and public funding! The library was originally founded by a group of book-loving philanthropists who wanted to contribute to literacy and knowledge for their era. Thanks to them, we now have one of the largest li...
The Shanghai Library has been around for a while, established as the Bibliotheca-Ka-Wei in 1847 which is today part of the larger Shanghai Library system, containing over 56 million items! Not only is the Shanghai Library one of the top three largest libraries in the world by possession, it is also the second tallest, at over 24 stories! The instit...
Founded over 200 years ago, the Library of Congress now has over 170 million items total as the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States! The library has three separate buildings in Washington D.C., and also in Virginia, containing over 470 languages in all its materials. But did you know the library used to contain a lot more? Most...
The largest library collection in the world is the British Library in London, with a range from 170 to 200 million items! Recognized for its history and architecture, it contains copies of every book produced in the United Kingdom and Ireland, in multiple languages and formats in print anddigital. Before its establishment as the British Library, th...
- Kayla Hoang
The world’s largest library, measured by catalogue size (number of items), is the US Library of Congress, which is based in Washington DC and was home to 173,731,463 items as of November 2021.
Mar 5, 2018 · Learn about the top 15 libraries in the world by the number of items in their catalogues. The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. is the largest library with 164 million items, followed by the British Library in London with 150 million items.
Ranklibrary NameLocationNumber Of Items In Catalogue (millions)1Library of CongressWashington, D.C., United States1642British LibraryLondon and Boston Spa, United Kingdom1503New York Public LibraryNew York, United States554Library and Archives CanadaOttawa, Canada54- Oishimaya Sen Nag
Jun 26, 2024 · With that in mind, let’s take a more detailed look at some of the world’s biggest libraries. 1) The British Library. Situated at 96 Euston Road, St Pancras, London, the British Library is a giant in the world of readily accessible knowledge. On a global scale, it reigns supreme, with a vast and eclectic collection exceeding 170 million items.
The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with millions of books, films and video, audio recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts in its collections. The Library is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.
