It is said that reading makes man whole. If you look at it like that, a library is a place that helps to create complete people. A library is a place close to the heart for those who read books and love books. Whether the library is big or small is irrelevant to them if they have ten books to read. But a big library with so many books that one cannot finish reading in a lifetime is such a beautiful place for those who love books. So for those who like to read and those who like to find out about the world, these are the libraries that are among the biggest libraries in the world. The pile of books in these biggest libraries and the beautiful architecture made to store those books are worth seeing.
1. British Library
The British Library is located in London, United States. This library is the National Library of the United States. Also, this library is currently considered as the largest library in the world. There are 170-200 million or more books and magazines in this British library. Among them are the handwritten originals of the songs of the famous Beatles band and even the originals of a part of the novel Persuasion, the last novel of the famous novelist Jane Austen. Prior to 1973, this library was administered as a part of the British Museum itself and has been separated from the museum under a separate administration by the British Libraries Act of 1972.
2. Library of Congress
This library is located in Washington, USA. This library is the State Library of America. This library was officially established in the city of Washington in 1800. But before that, it is said that they have been in different places for about 11 years. However, now this library is located in three buildings. It is said that this library currently has more than 162 million books and test papers. Also, books written in more than 450 languages around the world can be seen in this library, not limited to one country or language. It even includes the world’s smallest book that can be turned through the pages with just a needle.
3. Shanghai Library
This Shanghai library is located in Shanghai, China. But the National Library of China is the library located in Beijing. But this Shanghai library is larger than the Chinese National Library and is considered to be the third largest library in the world. This library has stored more than 56 million items including books. And this library is considered to be the second tallest library in the world. The W. E. B. Du Bois Library located in America is considered to be the first tallest library.
4. New York Public Library
This New York Public Library is located in New York City, USA. With a collection of more than 55 million books, this library is considered to be the fourth largest library in the world and the second largest public library in America.
5. Library and Archives Canada
This is the Public Library of Canada. Located in Ottawa, Canada, this library is the archive that has secured the historical documents of the Canadian government. This library is considered to be the fifth largest library in the world. More than 54 million books, magazines and documents are stored in this library. The library, which was started separately in 1953, was added to this institution, which was first established as an archive in 1872, in 2004.
6. Russian State Library
The Russian State Library is the national library of Russia. This library is located in Moscow, Russia. It is said that the collection of 47.2 million books in this library, which ranks 6th in the world in terms of size. This library started in 1862 under the name of Moscow Public Museum Library. Since 1925, this library was known as the I.V. Lenin State Library of the United Socialist Soviet Republic and was renamed as the Russian National Library in 1992. That is why this library is still known by the nickname “Leninka”.
7. National Diet Library
The National Diet Library (NDL) is located in Tokyo, Japan. The book collection of this library, which currently ranks seventh in the world in terms of size, exceeds 44.1 million. This library was started in 1948. In addition to the main branch in Tokyo, another main branch is located in Kyoto, and several sub-branches of this library are located in various cities across Japan. The main branch in Kyoto is called Kansai-Kan. The National Diet Library of Japan has a large collection of books, documents and digital books that can be read online.
