The National Taiwan Library () is a library in

Zhonghe District Zhonghe District (, Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tiong-hô Khu), also spelled Chūwa and Jhonghe, is an inner city district in New Taipei City in northern Taiwan. Geography and climate Zhonghe lies just south-west of Taipei City and shares borders with Banqia ...

New Taipei New Taipei City is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest s ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. It is the oldest public library in Taiwan. Founded in 1914, the library is home to a large collection of documents concerning the history, culture, politics and geography of Taiwan.

History

The library was founded in 1914 during the Japanese colonial period as the on the order of governor

Sakuma Samata General Count was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, and 5th Governor-General of Taiwan from 11 April 1906 to May 1915. Biography Sakuma was born in Abu District, Nagato Province (present day Hagi, Yamaguchi), as the younger son of O ...

. The library's first permanent home on Bo'ai Road (博愛路) in

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

was destroyed in a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

bombing raid during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After the

Nationalists Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

took over control of the island following Japan's defeat in World War II, the library was renamed the Taiwan Provincial Library () and moved to temporary accommodation. The implication of this name, as well as all the subsequent names, is that Taiwan is only one part of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

. In 1947, it was again renamed, this time to Taiwan Provincial Taipei Library () and it was under this name that the library was relocated to Xinsheng South Road (新生南路) in 1963. The current name of the library was chosen in 1973, with the full official title being National Central Library, Taiwan Branch (). After outgrowing the premises in Taipei city, the library was relocated to the 8-23 Memorial Park in Zhonghe,

Taipei County New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, be ...

(now New Taipei City) in 2004. In 2007, Huang Wen-ling was appointed as the twentieth director of the National Taiwan Library, and the first woman to hold the post.

Collection

The library is home to a large collection of documents related to Taiwan, some dating back to the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

era in Taiwan (i.e. pre-1895). There are 210,000 documents from the Japanese era (1895–1945) and the collection has been continuously added to since then. The library's aim is to provide a dedicated research centre for people interested in Taiwan Studies, offering traditional written material sources as well as information resources for researchers to locate the documents or information needed. Services for the

visually impaired Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

are also a key focus for the institution, with a collection of 12,000

Braille Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are Blindness, blind, Deafblindness, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on Paper embossing, embossed paper ...

books together with information technology resources for readers.

Conservation

A pioneer of book conservation techniques in Taiwan, the library is now home to a dedicated "Book Hospital" which serves not only as a centre for restoration of old books, but also a location for staff from other institutions to learn the craft.

References

{{Libraries of Taiwan 1914 establishments in Taiwan Library buildings completed in 2004 Zhonghe District Buildings and structures in New Taipei Tourist attractions in New Taipei Education in New Taipei Public libraries in Taiwan

History

Collection

Conservation

See also

References