List of largest libraries explained

This sortable list of largest libraries includes libraries that, as measured in 2008 or subsequently, store 15 million or more items. All figures are based on data published by the libraries themselves. As there are no universally accepted standards for measuring stock, libraries may have counted their holdings in different ways, and the figures given may not be directly comparable.

Largest libraries in the world

NameCountryLocationwidth=170Catalogued size
(number of items)
class=unsortableVisitors per yearclass=unsortableBudgetStaff
British LibraryLondon and Boston Spa[1] _0180000000170–200 million[2] [3] [4]
_00017500001.75 million[5] _01410000000[6] _019771,977
Library of CongressWashington, D.C.-reference access only & must use another library to borrow_0168000000175 million+[7] _00017500001.9 million[8] _19523722680_036243,149
Shanghai LibraryShanghai_005000000057 million[9] _0001170000_01640000000_01972
New York Public Library92 locations in the New York City Boroughs of Manhattan, The Bronx, & Staten Island (2nd largest number of locations in North America)_00550000055 million[10] _001800000018 million_07546275000_029373,000
Russian State LibraryMoscow_004440000048.1 million[11] _0001170000498,000_01640000000_019721,613
National Diet LibraryTokyo and Kyoto_004190000044.1 million[12] _0000654000791,370_07128927000_00908908
German National LibraryLeipzig and Frankfurt_003420000043.7 million[13] _000029973350,713_01834033100_00622639
National Library of ChinaBeijing_003770000043.27 million[14] _00052000005.2 million_013651,365[15]
Royal Danish LibraryCopenhagen and Aarhus_003540000042.5 million (physical items, excl. digital)[16] _00008503011.45 million_02249892000_00492800+[17]
Bibliothèque nationale de FranceParis_004000000041.66 million[18] _00013000001.3 million[19] _11038967000[20] _026682,668[21]
University of California LibrariesBerkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz40.8 million Not free: restricted to students, faculty or visitors who buy a membership[22] US$295 million2,000+
University of Illinois LibraryUrbana, Illinois restricted to students and faculty_004000000038 million[23] US$48.7 million_07546275000[24]
National Library of RussiaSaint Petersburg_003650000036.5 million[25] _00009660001 million569.2 million1,850
Bavarian State LibraryMunich_003420000034.4 million_0000299731.1 million_01834033100_000029973805
Biblioteca Nacional de EspañaMadrid_003310000033.1 million[26] _02299060450[27] _01090482
Library and Archives CanadaOttawa, Halifax, Winnipeg, Vancouver27 millionLargely a free reference library CAD165 million 853
Library of the Russian Academy of SciencesSaint Petersburg_002650000026.5 million[28]
Berlin State LibraryBerlin_002340000023.4 million[29] _00014000001.4 million
Boston Public LibraryBoston, Massachusetts at 25 locations_002240000022.4 million[30] _01174200390[31]
New York State LibraryAlbany, New York at 1 location_002000000020 million[32]
Harvard LibraryCambridge, Massachusetts restricted to students and faculty or their "guests"_001890000018.9 million[33] _00922922
National Library of SwedenStockholm_001800000018 million[34] 364.5 million kr[35]
University of Michigan LibraryAnn Arbor, Michigan at one location largely restricted to staff & students or costly pass buyers (borrowings can occur via other libraries)_001520000016.1 million[36]
University of Toronto LibrariesToronto – at one location largely restricted to University staff and students16 million[37] CA$125 million[38]
Vernadsky National Library of UkraineKyiv_001500000015.5 million[39] _0000500000500,000_00188609910[40]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: British Library at Boston Spa. bl.uk. 26 June 2019. 9 August 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190809233348/https://www.bl.uk/visit/reading-rooms/boston-spa. live.
  2. Web site: Facts and figures. Wight. Colin. bl.uk. 3 September 2017. 28 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170828023409/http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/quickinfo/facts/. live.
  3. Web site: BL Accounts 2019. bl.uk. 23 July 2019. 22 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190722081953/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/816517/British_Library_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_201819.pdf. live.
  4. Web site: BL Exhibition Notes. bl.uk. 11 June 2018. 9 August 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190809194810/https://www.bl.uk/a-history-of-magic/articles/the-magic-of-the-british-library. live.
  5. Web site: 2009 . The British Library Annual Report and Accounts 2008/09 – Performance . 14 July 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927194150/http://www.bl.uk/about/annual/2008to2009/performance/performance.html . 27 September 2011 . dead .
  6. Web site: 2009 . The British Library Annual Accounts 2008/09 . 15 July 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927201104/http://www.bl.uk/about/annual/2008to2009/accounts.pdf . 27 September 2011 . dead .
  7. Web site: General information. Library of Congress. 5 May 2020. 28 February 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140228111719/https://www.loc.gov/about/general-information/. live.
  8. Web site: General Information – About the Library (Library of Congress). Library of Congress. 15 May 2020. 28 February 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140228111719/https://www.loc.gov/about/general-information/. live.
  9. Web site: 上海图书馆 .
  10. Web site: 2009 . The New York Public Library's 2009 Annual Report . 15 July 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140326104143/http://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/2009_Annual_Report.pdf . 26 March 2014 . dead .
  11. Web site: 1 January 2020. Статистическая справка о работе Российской государственной библиотеки (2021 год) (по состоянию на 01.01.2022). 11 April 2020. 19 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220319205652/https://www.rsl.ru/photo/!_ORS/1-O-BIBLIOTEKE/7-documenty/rgb-stat-spravka2021.pdf. live.
  12. Web site: 2017. National Diet Library Statistics. 6 April 2017. 7 July 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140707165315/http://ndl.go.jp/en/aboutus/outline/numerically.html. live.
  13. Web site: Jahresbericht 2021. Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. 2022. de. 11 October 2022. 11 October 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221011122032/https://d-nb.info/1257467816/34. live.
  14. Web site: 中国国家图书馆 .
  15. Web site: 2009 . ANNUAL REPORT TO CDNL 2010 . 14 July 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130119221853/http://www.ndl.go.jp/en/cdnlao/meetings/pdf/CR2010_China.pdf . 19 January 2013 . dead .
  16. Web site: Årsrapport 2017 for Det Kgl. Bibliotek . 5 March 2018 . Det Kgl. Bibliotek . 5 April 2020 . da . 16 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200616173149/http://www5.kb.dk/export/sites/kb_dk/da/kb/aarsrapport/KB-Arsrapport-2017.pdf . live .
  17. Web site: Job og karriere . Det Kgl. Bibliotek . 5 April 2020 . da . 13 March 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210313020516/https://www.kb.dk/om-os/job-og-karriere . live .
  18. Web site: 31 December 2022 . La BnF en chiffes . 4 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111209065708/http://www.bnf.fr/en/bnf/presentation_space/a.abc_of_the_collections.html . 9 December 2011 . dead .
  19. Web site: 14 October 2009 . BnF – La BnF en chiffres – Publics . 14 July 2010 . fr . https://web.archive.org/web/20110807194304/http://www.bnf.fr/fr/la_bnf/bnf_en_chiffres/s.chiffres_publics.html?first_Art=non . 7 August 2011 . dead .
  20. Web site: 14 October 2009 . BnF – La BnF en chiffres – Budget . 14 July 2010 . fr . https://web.archive.org/web/20110807215248/http://www.bnf.fr/fr/la_bnf/bnf_en_chiffres/s.chiffres_budget.html?first_Art=non . 7 August 2011 . dead .
  21. Web site: 23 December 2010. BnF – La BnF en chiffres – Personnels. 28 September 2012. fr. 9 November 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121109211200/http://www.bnf.fr/fr/la_bnf/bnf_en_chiffres/s.chiffres_personnels.html?first_Art=non. live.
  22. Web site: Facts and Figures – UC Libraries . 2023-07-14 . en-US . 1 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221201203151/https://libraries.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/facts-and-figures/ . live .
  23. Web site: Collections – University of Illinois Library . 2022-10-17 . www.library.illinois.edu . 17 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017005406/https://www.library.illinois.edu/collections/ . live .
  24. Web site: Budget Summary for Operations FY2023 . October 16, 2022 . Office of Business and Financial Services University of Illinois System . 22 . 17 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017005405/https://www.obfs.uillinois.edu/common/pages/DisplayFile.aspx?itemId=1848991 . live .
  25. Web site: 2011. Российская национальная библиотека: Статистические данные за 2005 – 2009 гг.. 26 September 2012. dead. https://archive.today/20120909014136/http://www.nlr.ru:8100/nlr/docs/stat.htm. 9 September 2012.
  26. Web site: 2015. Biblioteca Nacional de España. Memoria 2015. 25 March 2017. es. 23 December 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101223221035/http://www.bne.es/export/sites/BNWEB1/es/LaBNE/MemoriaPlan/MemoriasBN/docs/memoria_2009_web.pdf. dead.
  27. Web site: 2015 . Biblioteca Nacional de España. Memoria 2015 . 25 March 2017 . es . https://web.archive.org/web/20101223221035/http://www.bne.es/export/sites/BNWEB1/es/LaBNE/MemoriaPlan/MemoriasBN/docs/memoria_2009_web.pdf . 23 December 2010 . dead .
  28. Web site: Единый фонд системы Библиотеки Российской Академии наук – главный информационный ресурс . 14 July 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120310103754/http://www.rasl.ru/b_resours/index.php . 10 March 2012 . dead .
  29. Web site: 2009 . Zahlen und Fakten Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin . 15 July 2010 . de . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100620000018/http://staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/ueber-uns/fuer-forschung-und-kultur/zahlen-und-fakten.html . 20 June 2010 .
  30. Web site: 2010 . The Boston Public Library. An Overview: 2010 . 15 July 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120222032844/http://www.bpl.org/general/about/bpl_an_overview_2010.pdf . 22 February 2012 . dead .
  31. Web site: 9 March 2010 . BPL – Community . 15 July 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120329115404/http://www.bpl.org/community/ . 29 March 2012 . dead .
  32. Web site: 20 March 2010 . About the New York State Library . 15 July 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120402183442/http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/general.htm . 2 April 2012 . dead .
  33. Web site: Harvard Library Annual Report FY2013. 2013. 30 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160609122009/http://library.harvard.edu/annual-report-fy-2013. 9 June 2016. dead.
  34. Web site: Our Collections – Kungliga biblioteket. 10 February 2013. 25 December 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181225221112/http://www.kb.se/english/collections. live.
  35. Web site: Kungl. bibliotekets årsredovisning 2015. National Library of Sweden. 1 October 2016. budget. sv. 26 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161026201555/http://www.kb.se/Dokument/Om/verksamhet/arsredovisningar/Kungl.bibliotekets%20%C3%85R%202015.pdf. dead.
  36. Web site: Statistical Highlights. 2022. 1 September 2022. 29 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220129000724/https://www.lib.umich.edu/about-us/about-library/assessment/statistical-highlights/. live.
  37. Web site: LibQUAL comments University of Toronto Libraries . 2024-04-13 . onesearch.library.utoronto.ca.
  38. News: University of Toronto . February 16, 2023 . Budget Report 2023-24 and Long-Range Budget Guidelines 2023-24 to 2027-28 .
  39. Web site: Історичні відомості. Національна бібліотека України імені В. І. Вернадського. 22 January 2019. 4 March 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120304065509/http://www.nbuv.gov.ua/library/rus.html. dead.
  40. Web site: Yale University Library FAQ FY2017. 2017. 16 April 2018. 8 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190608145557/https://ask.library.yale.edu/faq/175105. live.
  41. Web site: National Library of Iran. 29 November 2021. 1 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220301221048/https://www.nlai.ir/detail-page/-/asset_publisher/1XAU1TD4jK8G/content/--8027. dead.
  42. Web site: Cultural services. Annual Report 2012-13. Leisure and Cultural Services Department. 1 February 2014.
  43. p. 200, Web site: Head 95 - Leisure and Cultural Services Department. 2011–12 Budget. John Tsang. 2 June 2011.
  44. Web site: 2024 . Sprawozdanie biblioteki narodowej za rok 2023 . Biblioteka Narodowa . . 22 . pl.
  45. Web site: 17 June 2010. Про Державний бюджет України на 2010 рік| від 27 April 2010 № 2154-VI (Стор. 16 з 28)|access-date=14 July 2010|language=uk|archive-date=6 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206010055/https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/cgi-bin/laws/main.cgi?page=16&nreg=2154-17|url-status=live}}| _00900900|-| Yale Library]| | New Haven, Connecticut - one location for students, staff and no free borrowing access to the public| _001520000015.2 million[40] ||||-| National Library of Iran| | Tehran| _001500000015.0 million[41] || ||-| Hong Kong Public Library| | Hong Kong| _001136000011.36 million[42] || _00776200000[43] ||-|National Library of Poland||Warsaw|10.4 milion[44] ||||-|Toronto Public Library||Toronto, Ontario – at 100 branches the largest & busiest free public library in North America|10.2 million|26,598,000 circulation|$252 million (CAD) |1825|}

    See also

    References

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