The Cyprus Library (, , Turkish: Kıbrıs Kütüphanesi) is the

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, ...

of the

Republic of Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the third lar ...

. Its aim is to secure, process, and make available publications that are produced in Cyprus or have to do with Cyprus.

History

The Cyprus Library was founded by the British Colonial Governor Sir Ronald Storrs, who noticed the lack of a public library in Cyprus. During the period books were brought from Britain to add to the library. It used to work under the Ministry of Education, Culture and Youth, but after the establishment of a separate Deputy Ministry of Culture, it is now organised under it. In 1968 the Cyprus Public Library Law moved control of the library from the Municipality of Nicosia to the Ministry of Education and Culture and it merged its collections with the Ministry's Library. In 1974 it was relocated to its original premises on the D'Avila Bastion of the Venetian walls of Nicosia. In 1987 a new law establishing the Cyprus Library was passed. In 2022 it came under the control of the newly established Deputy Ministry of Culture.

Holdings

The Cyprus Library houses over 178,000 books. The oldest work in the possession of the Library is ''Malta Illustrata'', the first book that was published in

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

in 1647, written by Giovanfrancesco Abela.

Locations

Main Location: Eleftherias Square, 1011 Lefkosia Reference Department 46th Faneromenis Str. 1011 Lefkosia (Former Faneromeni Library) Two additional locations used for digitisation, storage and conservation of books.

Publications about the Cyprus Library

* Ανδρέου, Α. Κ. & Τσιμπόγλου, Φ. Χ. (2010)
''Στρατηγικό Σχέδιο Ανάπτυξης της Κυπριακής Βιβλιοθήκης 2010-2014. Από την πραγματικότητα στο ιδεώδες, μέσω του εφικτού''
Λευκωσία.

External links

Collection of the Cyprus Library

Digital Platform of the Cyprus Library

References