Which is the largest national library in the world by number of items catalogued?

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and the largest national library in the world by number of items catalogued. It is estimated to contain 170–200 million+ items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British Library receives copies of all books produced in the United Kingdom and Ireland, including a significant proportion of overseas titles distributed in the UK. The Library is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The British Library is a major research library, with items in many languages and in many formats, both print and digital: books, manuscripts, journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, videos, play-scripts, patents, databases, maps, stamps, prints, drawings. The Library's collections include around 14 million books, along with substantial holdings of manuscripts and historical items dating back as far as 2000 BC. In addition to receiving a copy of every publication produced in the UK and Ireland (approximately 8,000 per day), the Library has a programme for content acquisitions. The Library adds some three million items every year occupying 9.6 kilometres (6.0 mi) of new shelf space. There is space in the library for over 1,200 readers.

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11 Comments

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Nigel H, The Library of Congress is the second largest library in the world. You need to go back to school and learn that 168 is not higher than 170. You are crap at maths !!!!!!

j collins

The building's exterior is Orwellian, but inside it's a thing of beauty. 😂

Cordelia Bickerton

Eulanwy , It’s just by St Pancras station in London

Val Wilkinson

Nigel H, I have never seen any reputable source say the Library of Congress has the largest number of items catalogued, although it is probably the largest in America. This is quite possibly due to: a. age - the USA is a young country with little history and very little chance to build up such a prestigious well-stocked library starting from scratch b. The British Library has many books in other languages whereas it seems many Americans struggle to even acknowledge other countries. The other extensive library that will be bigger then the Library of Congress with be that at the Vatican as, like the British Library it is centuries old and because the Pope traditionally has his experts check every published work in order to ensure they are "suitable" for Catholics.

Val Wilkinson

Barry Oates, I have never seen any reputable source say the Library of Congress has the largest number of items catalogued, although it is probably the largest in America. This is quite possibly due to: a. age - the USA is a young country with little history and very little chance to build up such a prestigious well-stocked library starting from scratch b. The British Library has many books in other languages whereas it seems many Americans struggle to even acknowledge other countries. The other extensive library that will be bigger then the Library of Congress with be that at the Vatican as, like the British Library it is centuries old and because the Pope traditionally has his experts check every published work in order to ensure they are "suitable" for Catholics.

Val Wilkinson

Grant McIntosh, I have never seen any reputable source say the Library of Congress has the largest number of items catalogued, although it is probably the largest in America. This is quite possibly due to: a. age - the USA is a young country with little history and very little chance to build up such a prestigious well-stocked library starting from scratch b. The British Library has many books in other languages whereas it seems many Americans struggle to even acknowledge other countries. The other extensive library that will be bigger then the Library of Congress with be that at the Vatican as, like the British Library it is centuries old and because the Pope traditionally has his experts check every published work in order to ensure they are "suitable" for Catholics.