Admont Abbey Library, Austria
The largest monastic library in the world as well as a long-standing scientific collection can be found at Admont Abbey, the oldest still-operating monastery in Styria. It is renowned for its Baroque manuscripts, artwork, and architecture.
Address – Kirchplatz 1, 8911 Admont, Austria
Architect – Joseph Hueber
Type – Baroque-style library
Owner : Josef Hueber
Established -1776
Entry fee – EUR9. 50 and EUR5. 00 for taking a photo
Website – www.stiftadmont.at
Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris
In Paris, France’s national library is called the Bibliotheque Nationale de France. In addition to housing sizable historical collections, it serves as the national repository for everything published in France.
Address: Quai François Mauriac, 75706 Paris, France
Architect – Dominique Perrault
Owner : Louis XI
Type – Groundscape-style library
Established –1368
Entry fee – 45€ (adult and children groups), €15(Reading/Culture ), and Free entry for disabled people and accompanying persons
Website-www.bnf.fr
The British Library
One of the biggest libraries in the world, the British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Between 170 and 200 million items from various nations are thought to be present. The British Library receives copies of all books published in the United Kingdom and Ireland as a legal deposit library, including a sizable portion of foreign books sold in the UK. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport is the sponsor of the Library, a non-departmental public organization.
Address: 96 Euston Rd, London NW1 2DB, United Kingdom
Architect – Sir Colin St John Wilson and his partner MJ Long
Owner :Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.
Type – Modern-style library
Established –1 July 1973
Entry fee – Free of charge
Website – www.bl.uk
George Peabody Library
A library affiliated with Johns Hopkins University that specializes in research into the 19th century is called the George Peabody Library. It is situated on the Peabody campus at West Mount Vernon Place in the Mount Vernon-Belvedere historic cultural neighborhood, north of downtown Baltimore, Maryland. It was formerly the Library of the Peabody Institute of Music in the City of Baltimore. In keeping with Baltimorean businessman and philanthropist George Peabody’s intention to build a library “for the free use of all persons who desire to consult it,” the collections are open to the public.
Address -17 E Mt Vernon Pl, Baltimore, MD 21202, United States
Architect – Edmund Ge
Owner-George Peabody & Co
Type – Baroque, Rococo, and Greco-Roman-style library
Established –1878
Entry fee – $6 for adults and $4 for children up to age of 13.
Website – www.library.jhu.edu/library-hours/george-peabody-library
Tianjin Binhai Library
Tianjin Binhai New Area Library, nicknamed The Eye because of its iris-like sphere, which is visible from the outside of the library through an iris-shaped opening, gave rise to the name. It is part of the Binhai Cultural Center, being one of its five central attractions.
Address – China, Tianjin, Binhai, 旭升路347號
Architect – Bernard Tschumi and Bing Thom.
Type – Rotterdam-style library
Established –2017
Entry fee – Free of charge
Library of Trinity College Dublin
The Library of Trinity College Dublin serves Trinity College and the University of Dublin. It is a legal deposit or “copyright library”, under which, publishers in Ireland must deposit a copy of all their publications there, without charge
Location: College Street, Dublin 2
Architect: Thomas Burgh
Owner : The Provost, Fellows, Foundation Scholars and other members of the Board
Type –Palazzo-style library
Established –1592
Entry fee – Adults 14 euro, and concessions are 12 euro
Website –https://www.tcd.ie/library
Bibliotheca in Alexandria, Egypt
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a major library and cultural center on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. It is a commemoration of the Library of Alexandria, once one of the largest libraries worldwide, which was lost in antiquity.
Address: Al Azaritah WA Ash Shatebi, Bab Sharqi, Alexandria Governorate 21526, Egypt
Type –Contemporary-style library
Established – 16 October 2002
Architects: Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, Craig Edward Dykers, Christoph Kapeller, Øyvind Mo
Entry fee –
| Admission | Individuals | University Students and Senior Citizens |
| Egyptians | EGP 5 | EGP 3 |
| Non-Egyptians | EGP 70 | EGP 10 |
Website –https://www.bibalex.org/en/default
State Library Victoria
The State Library Victoria is the state library of the Australian state of Victoria. 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 world.
Address: 328 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Established: 1854
Type: Neoclassical style library
Architect: Joseph Reed
Owner: Creative Victoria
Entry fee – Free of charge
Website –https://www.slv.vic.gov.au
Public Library Stuttgart
The Stadtbibliothek Stuttgart is the public library of the city of Stuttgart. It is organized as a department of the city’s cultural office and comprises the central library, 17 city district libraries, and two bookmobiles. In 2013, it received the national award of Library of the Year.
Address- Mailänder Platz 1, 70173 Stuttgart, Germany
Architect- Yi Architects
Established- 1901
Type- Korean style library
Entry fee – Free of charge
Website – https://stuttgart.biblionix.com/catalog
Baroque Library of Metten Abbey, Germany
Metten Abbey, or St. Michael’s Abbey at Metten is a house of the Benedictine Order in Metten near Deggendorf, situated between the fringes of the Bavarian Forest and the valley of the Danube, in Bavaria in Germany.
Address: Abteistraße 3, 94526 Metten, Germany
Established: 766 AD
Type: Baroque style library
Architect: Abbot Roman II Märkl
Website :https://top-rated.online/cities/Straubing/place/p/5789054/Metten+Abbey
National Library, Dublin
The National Library of Ireland is Ireland’s national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. A 2-min walk from the National Gallery of Ireland
Address: 7-8 Kildare St, Dublin 2, D02 P638, Ireland
Director: Dr. Sandra Collins
Architect: Thomas Newenham Deane
Established: 1877
Type: Classical style library
Website : www. nli.ie
Biblioteca de Convento de Mafra, Portugal
The Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading is a library and lusophone cultural institution, is located in Luís de Camões Street, number 30, in the center of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is listed by the State Institute of Cultural Heritage.
Address: R. Luís de Camões, 30 – Centro, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, 20051-020, Brazil
Type: Baroque and Neo-Manueline style library
Established: 1730
Architect: João Frederico Ludovica
Website :http://www.patrimoniocultural.gov.pt
Real Gabinete Português de Leitura, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading (Portuguese: Real Gabinete Português de Leitura) is a library and lusophone cultural institution, is located in Luís de Camões Street, number 30, in the center of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is listed by the State Institute of Cultural Heritage. Elected the fourth most beautiful library in the world by Time magazine, the Cabinet has the largest collection of Portuguese literature outside Portugal.
Address: R. Luís de Camões, 30 – Centro, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, 20051-020, Brazil
Type: Neo-Manueline style library
Director : Antonio Gomes da Costa
Established:1887
Website :https://www.realgabinete.com.br
Stiftsbibliothek Sankt Gallen, St Gallen, Switzerland
Sainte-Geneviève Library is a public and university library located at 10, place du Panthéon, across the square from the Panthéon, in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. It is based on the collection of the Abbey of St Genevieve, which was founded in the 6th century by Clovis I, the King of the Franks.
Address: Klosterhof 6D, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland
Type : Baroque style Library
Architect: Peter Thumb
Established: 1767
Owner : Saint Othmar
Entry fee – Free of charge
Website : www.stiftsbibliothek.ch
Rijksmuseum
The Rijksmuseum is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and the Concertgebouw.
Address- Museumstraat 1, 1071 XX Amsterdam, Netherlands
Director-Taco Dibbits
Architect-Pierre Cuypers
Established-19 November 1798
Owner-The Hague
Website – https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en
El Ateneo Grand Splendid
El Ateneo Grand Splendid is a bookshop in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2008, The Guardian placed it as the second most beautiful bookshop in the world. In 2019, it was named the “world’s most beautiful bookstore” by the National Geographic.
Address – Av. Santa Fe 1860, C1123 CABA, Argentina
Type – Eclecticism style library
Established- 4 December 2000
Owner- Grupo Ilhsa
Website – https://www.yenny-elateneo.com/local/grand-splendid
Library of Parliament
The Library of Parliament is the main information repository and research resource for the Parliament of Canada.
Address -111 Wellington St, Ottawa, ON K1A 0A9, Canada
Established -1876
Director – Heather Lank
Owner – Government of India
Website – https://lop.parl.ca/sites/PublicWebsite/default/en_CA
Royal Seat of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, or Monasterio del Escorial, is a historical residence of the King of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, 2.06 km up the valley from the town of El Escorial and about 45 kilometres northwest of the Spanish capital Madrid.
Address: Av Juan de Borbón y Battenberg, s/n, 28200 San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid, Spain
Type: Herrerian style library
Architect: Juan Bautista de Toledo
Owner: Ministry of the Presidency
Website – http://monasteriodelescorial.com
The Morgan Library & Museum
The Morgan Library & Museum, formerly the Pierpont Morgan Library, is a museum and research library in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is situated at 225 Madison Avenue, between 36th Street to the south and 37th Street to the north. Wikipedia
Address: 225 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016, United States
Architect: Renzo Piano
Director: Colin B. Bailey
Type : Renaissance and Palladian styles Library
Established: 1906
Owner: J. P. Morgan
Website –https://www.themorgan.org/visit
Library of Congress Washington, D.C., United States
The Library of Congress is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the de facto national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country.
Address: 101 Independence Ave SE, Washington, DC 20540, United States
Established : 24 April 1800, Washington, D.C., United States
Director: Carla Hayden
Owner: John Adams
Jurisdiction: United States
Subsidiary: Center for the Book
Official name: Library of Congress
Website –https://www.loc.gov
John Rylands Research Institute and Library
The John Rylands Research Institute and Library is a late-Victorian neo-Gothic building on Deansgate in Manchester, England. It is part of the University of Manchester. The library, which opened to the public in 1900, was founded by Enriqueta Augustina Rylands in memory of her husband, John Rylands.
Address: 150 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3EH, United Kingdom
Established : 1 January 1900
Architect: Basil Champneys
Type: Gothic Revival and Victorian Style Library
Website – https://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/rylands
Vennesla library, Norway
The Vennesla Library and Culture House is a public library serving the inhabitants of the Vennesla Municipality in Agder, Norway. The new library building completed in 2011 has won several architecture prizes and has been praised both within Norway and abroad.
Address: Venneslamoen 19, 4700 Vennesla, Norway
Type : Helen & Hard Style Library
Owner: Vennesla Municipality
Established: 2011
Website –https://www.venneslakulturhus.no
The Iowa State Law Library, Des Moines
In the American state of Iowa, there is a library called the State Library of Iowa. The State Library serves as a resource for the state government and its residents in addition to supporting local libraries throughout the state.
Address: 1007 E Grand Ave UNIT 214, Des Moines, IA 50319, United States
Established –1868
Website – https://www.statelibraryofiowa.gov
Strahovská Kinnona, Prague, Czech Republic
The Strahov Library is the library of the Royal Premonstratensian Canon in Strahov . The historical part of the library contains over 200,000 volumes, of which over 3,000 manuscripts and 1,500 originals , stored in a special depository.
Address: Strahovské nádvoří 132/1, 118 00 Praha 1-Hradčany, Czechia
Owner: Vladislav II
Established -1671 – 1679
Entrance fee – basic 150 CZK
reduced 80 CZK
family 300 CZK
Website –https://www.strahovskyklaster.cz/strahovska-knihovna
Seattle Public Library-Central Library
The Seattle Central Library is the flagship library of the Seattle Public Library system. Rem Koolhaas and Joshua Prince-Ramus of OMA/LMN were the principal architects, and Magnusson Klemencic Associates was the structural engineer with Arup. Arup also provided mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering, as well as fire/life safety, security, IT and communications, and audiovisual consulting. Hoffman Construction Company of Portland, Oregon, was the general contractor.
Address: 1000 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104, United States
Architects: Rem Koolhaas, Joshua Prince-Ramus
Architectural style: Postmodern Architecture
Architecture firms: Office for Metropolitan Architecture, LMN Architects
Opened: 23 May 2004
Owner: Seattle Public Library
Website –https://www.spl.org/hours-and-locations/central-library
Starfield Library
The Starfield Library is a free, open place where anyone is welcome to come to relax, take a break, and spend time among books with other bookworms. There is a large selection of books in many different categories, including the humanities, economics, hobbies, etc. The library has entire sections devoted to foreign literature and well-known authors. E-books can be read on iPads. You can browse nearly 600 magazines, both domestic and international. All of these characteristics distinguish Starfield Library from other ordinary libraries. There are also a ton of events held here, including author meet-ups, book talks, poetry readings, lectures, book concerts, as well as more.
Address: South Korea, Seoul, Gangnam-gu, Yeongdong-daero, 513 스타필드 코엑스몰 B1
Website –https://www.starfield.co.kr/coexmall/starfieldLibrary/library.do
National Library in Beijing, China
The National Library of China is the national library of the People’s Republic of China and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It contains over 41 million items as of December 2020.
Address: 33 Zhongguancun S Ave, Haidian District, China, 100089
Established: 9 September 1909
Director: Dr. Wang Chunfa (since 2017)
Parent organization: Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China
Website –http://www.nlc.cn/newen/
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. It is the oldest library in Australia, being the first established in the colony of New South Wales in 1826.
Address: 1 Shakespeare Pl, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Architects: Walter Liberty Vernon, Andrew Andersons
Established: 1826
Director: Dr. John Vallance; (State Librarian)
Jurisdiction: New South Wales
Website –https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/
The New York Public Library Main Branch, Manhattan
The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, commonly known as the Main Branch, 42nd Street Library, or the New York Public Library, is the flagship building in the New York Public Library system in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. The branch, one of four research libraries in the library system, contains nine separate divisions. The structure contains four stories open to the public. The main entrance steps are at Fifth Avenue at its intersection with East 41st Street. As of 2015, the branch contains an estimated 2.5 million volumes in its stacks. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark, a National Register of Historic Places site, and a New York City designated landmark in the 1960s.
Address – 476 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York 10018
Type – Research library
Established – May 23, 1911 (opened to the public)
Architect – Carrère and Hastings
Director – Anthony Marx, President and CEO
Website – www.nypl.org
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