TOP 10 LARGEST LIBRARIES IN THE WORLD

1.British library – United Kingdom, London

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and the largest library in the world by number of items catalogued. A Grade I listed building, the library is a major research library, holding around 170 million items from many countries

2.Library of Congress – United States, Washington D.C.

The Library of Congress is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress, but which is the  national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. The Library is housed in three buildings on Capital Hill in Washington D.C.

The library is the second largest in the world by size and collection.It holds 160 million items.

   

3.Library and Archives Canada – Canada, Ottawa

The Dominion Archives founded in 1872 as a division within the Department of Agriculture was transformed into the autonomous Public Archives of Canada in 1912 and renamed the National Archives of Canada in 1987.It holds 52 million items

       

4.New York Public Library – United States, New York City

The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York library. With nearly 53 million items, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States.The library was developed in the 19th century, founded from an amalgamation of grass-roots libraries, and social libraries of bibliophiles and the wealthy, aided by the philanthropy of the wealthiest Americans of their age.

           

5.Russian State Library – Russia, Moscow

The Russian State Library  is the national library of Russia, located in Moscow. It is the largest in the country and the fourth largest in the world for its collection of books.The library has over 275 km of shelves with more than 43 million items.

            

6.Bibliotheque Nationale de France – France, Paris

The National Library of France traces its origin to the royal library founded at the Louvre Palace by Charles 5 in 1368. It holds 40 million items.

            

7. National Library of Russia – Russia, Saint Petersburg

The National Library of Russia in St Petersburg is not only the oldest public library in the nation, but also the first national library in the country.

             

8.National Diet Library – Japan, Tokyo and Kyoto

The National Diet Library is the only national library in Japan. It was established in 1948 for the purpose of assisting members of the National Diet of Japan in researching matters of public policy. The library is similar in purpose and scope to the United States Library of Congress

The National Diet Library (NDL) consists of two main facilities in Tokyo and yoto, and several other branch libraries throughout Japan.It has 35.6 million items

                

9.National Library of China – China, Beijing

The National Library of China or NLC in Beijing is the national library of the People's Republic of China. With a collection of over 33,78 million items, it is the largest library in Asia. It holds the largest collections of Chines literature and historical documents in the world.

             

10.Royal Danish Library – Denmark, Copenhagen

The Royal Library in Copenhagen, Denmark, is the national library and the university library of the University of Copenhagen. It is the largest library in the Nordic countries

It contains numerous historical treasures, and a copy of all works printed in Denmark since the 17th century are deposited there. Thanks to extensive donations in the past, the library holds nearly all known Danish printed works back to and including the first Danish book, printed in 1482.