Thomas Jefferson Building Aerial by Carol M

national library A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public library, public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, o ...

is established by the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

of a nation to serve as the pre-eminent repository of information for that country. Unlike

public libraries A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants. There are five fundamenta ...

, they rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, or significant works; such as the

Gutenberg Bible The Gutenberg Bible (also known as the 42-line Bible, the Mazarin Bible or the B42) was the earliest major book printed using mass-produced movable metal type in Europe. It marked the start of the "Gutenberg Revolution" and the age of printed b ...

. National libraries are usually notable for their size, compared to that of other libraries in the same country. Some national libraries may be thematic or specialized in some specific domains, beside or in replacement of the 'main' national library. Some national entities which are not independent but who wish to preserve their particular culture, have established a national library with all the attributes of such institutions, such as

legal deposit Legal deposit is a legal requirement that a person or group submit copies of their publications to a repository, usually a library. The number of copies required varies from country to country. Typically, the national library is the primary reposit ...

. Many national libraries cooperate within the National Libraries Section of the

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international body representing the interests of people who rely on libraries and information professionals. An independent, non-governmental, not-for-pro ...

(IFLA) to discuss their common tasks, define and promote common standards and carry out projects helping them to fulfil their duties. National libraries of Europe participate in

The European Library The European Library is an Internet service that allows access to the resources of 49 European national libraries and an increasing number of research libraries. Searching is free and delivers metadata records as well as digital objects, mostly ...

. This is a service of The Conference of European National Librarians (CENL). The list below is organized alphabetically by country, according to the

list of sovereign states The following is a list providing an overview of sovereign states around the world with information on their status and recognition of their sovereignty. The 206 listed states can be divided into three categories based on membership withi ...

, including, at its end an 'other states' section for non-sovereign states. A "♦" indicates a national library of a constituent country or dependent state. It is listed under the sovereign state which governs that entity. Sovereign states are listed even when they have no national library or when the existence and name of a national library could not yet be ascertained. Other states, constituent countries and dependent states are listed only if they have a national library.

National libraries

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

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Other States

State libraries

A state library is established by a

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

to serve as the preeminent repository of information for that region.

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

* ''

ACT Heritage Library The ACT Heritage Library is the state library of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). It is the heritage section of the ACT Library and Information Services. Antoinette Buchanan has been the Manager of the ACT Heritage Library since 2004. ...

'' * ''

Northern Territory Library Library & Archives NT comprises the Northern Territory Library and the two Northern Territory Archives Centres in Darwin and Alice Springs. Located in Parliament House in Darwin City, it is the premier public research and archival organisati ...

'' *

State Library of New South Wales The State Library of New South Wales, part of which is known as the Mitchell Library, is a large heritage-listed special collections, reference and research library open to the public and is one of the oldest libraries in Australia. Establish ...

State Library of Queensland The State Library of Queensland is the main reference and research library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Queensland Libraries Act 1988. It contai ...

State Library of South Australia The State Library of South Australia, or SLSA, formerly known as the Public Library of South Australia, located on North Terrace, Adelaide, is the official library of the Australian state of South Australia. It is the largest public research l ...

State Library of Tasmania The State Reference Library is the reference library in the state of Tasmania, Australia. It is part of Libraries Tasmania. Libraries Tasmania includes a state-wide network of library services, community learning, adult literacy and the State� ...

State Library of Victoria State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the ...

State Library of Western Australia The State Library of Western Australia is a research, education, reference and public lending library located in the Perth Cultural Centre in Perth, Western Australia. It is a portfolio agency of the Western Australia Department of Culture and t ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Bavarian State Library The Bavarian State Library (german: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, abbreviated BSB, called ''Bibliotheca Regia Monacensis'' before 1919) in Munich is the central " Landesbibliothek", i. e. the state library of the Free State of Bavaria, the big ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

Central and Regional Library of Berlin The Berlin Central and Regional Library (german: Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin) or ZLB is the official library of the City and State of Berlin, Germany. It was established as a Foundation by two State laws, initially in 1995 and amended in ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Göttingen State and University Library The Göttingen State and University Library (german: Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen or SUB Göttingen) is the library for Göttingen University as well as for the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and is the state li ...

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, t ...

Hessian State Library The Wiesbaden State Library (german: Landesbibliothek Wiesbaden), formerly the ''Nassau State Library'' and ''Hessian State Library'', is one of the state libraries of Germany. It is funded by the State of Hesse and located in Wiesbaden Wie ...

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

Saxon State Library The Saxon State and University Library Dresden (full name in german: Sächsische Landesbibliothek – Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden), abbreviated SLUB Dresden, is located in Dresden, Germany. It is both the regional library (german: ...

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

Württemberg State Library Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Wür ...

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Asafia State Library The State Central Library Hyderabad, ( te, స్టేట్ సెంట్రల్ లైబ్రరీ) ( ur, مكتبہ آصفیہ) known as the State Central Library (SCL) earlier known as Asafia Library, is a public library in Hyderabad ...

North Bengal State Library North Bengal State Library is the largest library in the North Bengal region of India. It is situated in the Cooch Behar city area. History The North Bengal State Library is the pride of Cooch Behar. This library has many valuable and Classic m ...

State Central Library, Kerala State Central Library of Kerala is also known as Trivandrum Public Library. It is in the center of Thiruvananthapuram city, the capital of Kerala. PH 7736893884 History The Library was established in 1829 during the reign of King S ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Autonomous communities eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...

libraries * Andalusia Library * Aragon Library * Cantabria Library * Castile and Leon Library * Castile-La Mancha Library * Catalonia Library * Madrid Regional Library *

Navarre Library The Navarre Library is the community library of Navarre, Florida. The library is part of the Santa Rosa County Library System based out of Milton, Florida. The branch is the primary provider of library services and book lending in Navarre, the t ...

* Valencian Library * Extremadura Library * Galicia Library *

La Rioja Library LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

* Asturias Library * Murcia Regional Library

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

The member states of the Swiss Confederation are the 26

cantons of Switzerland The 26 cantons of Switzerland (german: Kanton; french: canton ; it, cantone; Sursilvan and Surmiran: ; Vallader and Puter: ; Sutsilvan: ; Rumantsch Grischun: ) are the member states of the Swiss Confederation. The nucleus of the Swiss Con ...

. The (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

''Kantonsbibliothek'', French ''Bibliothèque cantonale'',

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

''Biblioteca cantonale'', Romansh ''Biblioteca chantunala'') are: * Aargau: Aargauer Kantonsbibliothek * Appenzell Ausserrhoden: Kantonsbibliothek Appenzell Ausserrhoden * Appenzell Innerrhoden: Innerrhodische Kantonsbibliothek * Basel-Landschaft: Kantonsbibliothek Baselland * Basel-Stadt:

Basel University Library Basel University Library, officially the Public Library of the University of Basel (german: Öffentliche Bibliothek der Universität Basel, abbreviated UB), is the central library of the University of Basel. It also serves as the Cantons of Switz ...

(university and cantonal library) * Bern: Bibliothek Münstergasse (formerly Zentralbibliothek Bern, Stadt- und Universitätsbibliothek Bern) * Fribourg: Bibliothèque cantonale et universitaire de Fribourg * Geneva:

Bibliothèque de Genève The Bibliothèque de Genève (BGE, English: Geneva Library, Library of Geneva), founded in 1559, was known as ''Bibliothèque publique et universitaire'' (BPU, English: Public and University Library) from 1907 to 2006. It occupies different build ...

* Glarus: Glarner Landesbibliothek * Grisons: Kantonsbibliothek Graubünden / Biblioteca chantunala dal Grischun / Biblioteca cantonale dei Grigioni * Jura: Bibliothèque cantonale jurassienne * Luzern:

Zentral- und Hochschulbibliothek Luzern Zentral- und Hochschulbibliothek Luzern (English: ''Lucerne Central and University Library''), the largest library of Central Switzerland Central Switzerland is the region of the Alpine Foothills geographically the heart and historically the origi ...

(university and cantonal library) * Neuchâtel: Bibliothèque publique et universitaire de Neuchâtel * Nidwalden: Kantonsbibliothek Nidwalden * Obwalden: Kantonsbibliothek Obwalden * Schaffhausen: Stadtbibliothek Schaffhausen (city and cantonal library) * Schwyz: Kantonsbibliothek Schwyz * Solothurn: Zentralbibliothek Solothurn (city and cantonal library) * St. Gallen: Kantonsbibliothek St. Gallen * Ticino: four libraries, Biblioteca cantonale di Bellinzona, Biblioteca cantonale di Locarno, Biblioteca cantonale di Lugano, Biblioteca cantonale e del Liceo di Mendrisio * Thurgau: Kantonsbibliothek Thurgau * Uri: Kantonsbibliothek Uri * Valais: Médiathèque Valais / Mediathek Wallis * Vaud:

Cantonal and University Library of Lausanne The Cantonal and University Library of Lausanne (''Bibliothèque cantonale et universitaire de Lausanne'', BCU) was founded in the 16th century and became one of the most important public libraries in Switzerland. History The University of ...

* Zug: Bibliothek Zug * Zürich:

Zentralbibliothek Zürich ''Zentralbibliothek Zürich'' (Zurich Central Library) is the main library of both the city and the University of Zurich, housed in the ''Predigerkloster'', the former Black Friars' abbey, in the old town's Rathaus quarter. It was founded in ...

(city, cantonal, and university library)

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 ...

Notes

References

External links

* * * Note: the IFLA now links to the Wikipedia list above (partly edited by IFLA members) instead of maintaining its own list, see also th
Annual Report 2009
of the National Libraries Section. * {{Navboxes , list= {{Libraries and library science {{Africa topic, title=African

national libraries A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, or significant wo ...

, prefix=National Library of {{Arab national libraries {{Asia topic, prefix=National Library of , title=

National libraries A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, or significant wo ...

of Asia {{National libraries of Europe {{North America topic, prefix=National Library of , title=

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

{{South America topic, prefix=National Library of , title=

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

Libraries A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

National and state libraries