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 libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, or significant w ...

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 ...

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 fundament ...

, 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-p ...

(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

Z

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 ...

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

Australia

* '' ACT Heritage Library'' * '' Northern Territory Library'' *

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. Establis ...

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 contain ...

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 ...

* State Library of Tasmania *

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 th ...

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 ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

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 bi ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

* Central and Regional Library of Berlin,

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

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 ...

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 Wi ...

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,

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 ...

* Württemberg State Library, Stuttgart

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 ...

* Asafia State Library *

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 Cooch Behar (), or Koch Bihar, is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters ...

* State Central Library, Kerala

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") , ...

Autonomous communities In Spain, an autonomous community ( es, comunidad autónoma) is the first-level political divisions of Spain, political and administrative division, created in accordance with the Constitution of Spain, Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim o ...

libraries *

Andalusia Library Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The ...

Aragon Library Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sout ...

Cantabria Library Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the eas ...

Castile and Leon Library Castile, Castille or Castilla may refer to: Places Spain * Castile (historical region), a vaguely defined historical region of Spain covering most of Castile and León, all of the Community of Madrid and most of Castilla–La Mancha *Kingdom of ...

* Castile-La Mancha Library * Catalonia Library * Madrid Regional Library * Navarre Library * Valencian Library *

Extremadura Library Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, ...

Galicia Library Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...

* La Rioja Library * Asturias Library *

Murcia Regional Library Murcia (, , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It has a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one ...

Switzerland

The member states of the Swiss Confederation are the 26 cantons of Switzerland. 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 **Ger ...

''Kantonsbibliothek'',

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

''Bibliothèque cantonale'', Italian ''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 (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 * Glarus: Glarner Landesbibliothek * Grisons: Kantonsbibliothek Graubünden / Biblioteca chantunala dal Grischun / Biblioteca cantonale dei Grigioni * Jura:

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

* Luzern: Zentral- und Hochschulbibliothek Luzern (university and cantonal library) * Neuchâtel:

Bibliothèque publique et universitaire de Neuchâtel 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 vi ...

* Nidwalden: Kantonsbibliothek Nidwalden * Obwalden: Kantonsbibliothek Obwalden * Schaffhausen:

Stadtbibliothek Schaffhausen The Stadtbibliothek Schaffhausen (Schaffhausen City Library) maintains a universal scientific stock., but without being associated with a university. Since the Canton of Schaffhausen does not maintain its own library, the Public Library performs ...

(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 A multimedia library is a public institution functioning as a library, containing not only paper and electronic books, newspapers and magazines, but also multimedia materials like videos (movies, documentaries) and sound recordings (music, audio ...

/ Mediathek Wallis * Vaud: Cantonal and University Library of Lausanne * 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 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

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 w ...

, 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 w ...

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

of North America {{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 souther ...

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