LISWiki will be closing, due to lack of participation, on July 1, 2019.

National libraries

From LISWiki
(Redirected from National library)
Jump to: navigation, search

A library designated and funded by a nation's government as a comprehensive collection of the published output of that nation and which serves the nation as a whole. The national library of the United States is the Library of Congress, located in Washington, D.C.


"National libraries have special responsibilities, often defined in law, within a nation's library and information system. These responsibilities vary from country to country but are likely to include: the collection via legal deposit (i.e., copyright) of the national imprint (both print and electronic) and its cataloguing (cataloging) and preservation; the provision of central services (e.g., reference, bibliography, preservation, lending) to users both directly and through other library and information centres (i.e., ILL); the preservation and promotion of the national cultural heritage; acquisition of at least a representative collection of foreign publications; the promotion of national cultural policy; and leadership in national literacy campaigns. National libraries often serve as a national forum for international programmes and projects. They may have a close relationship with national governments, may be concerned with the development of national information policies, and may act as a conduit for the views of other sectors of the profession. Occasionally they also serve the information needs of the legislature directly." -- International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), IFLA National Libraries Section

External Links[edit]

  • National Libraries of the World: Address List (IFLA)
  • National Library Catalogues Worldwide
  • National Libraries of Europe
  • Open Directory Project category
Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination
See also the Wikipedia article on:
National library

This article is a stub. You can help by expanding it.