10 Biggest Libraries in the World

10 Biggest Libraries in the World

There are plenty of reasons why people go to the library. A lot are there to be able to gather information on whatever they’re working on at the moment, be it for school, for work, or for personal research. There are a few who make use of the library only when specific data and information can’t be had by any other means. No matter what your motive for visiting the library is, you’ll surely want to set your eyes on the following ten largest libraries in the world:

1. Washington, D.C.’s Library of Congress

If you’ve already watched the movie National Treasure 2, then you’ve already taken a glimpse of this magnificent library. Within the confines of1within the confines of在……范圍內(nèi)。this center, you’ll find all you need to answer your questions about culture, science, philosophy, history, and any other subject matter. During the War of 1812, a huge portion of the original collection was sold. Fortunately, another 6,457 books were sold to the library by Thomas Jefferson from his very own collection. Composed of three buildings in Washington, D.C., the Library of Congress is such an impressive display of books and a grandly designed structure that it has been used in numerous movies to this date. With a vast book collection at over 30 million and written in just about any language you can think of, the Library of Congress definitely deserves all the fame. The public can visit the library, but only high ranking American officials are allowed to check out books.

人們?nèi)D書館的理由多種多樣。很多人是為了學(xué)習(xí)、工作或者個(gè)人研究，去那兒收集手頭所做之事需要的信息。有些人去圖書館則是因?yàn)闊o法通過其他方式找到特定數(shù)據(jù)和信息。不論你逛圖書館的動(dòng)機(jī)是什么，勢(shì)必都想一窺這世界十大圖書館的風(fēng)采。

1. 美國國會(huì)圖書館 （位于華盛頓特區(qū)）

如果看過電影《國家寶藏2》，那你一定見過這座巨大的圖書館。在這個(gè)圖書館里，可以找到所需的種種資料來解答文化、科學(xué)、哲學(xué)、歷史等各方面的問題。

1812年戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)期間，大部分原有藏書都賣掉了。所幸托馬斯·杰斐遜將自己的6457冊(cè)私人藏書出售給了圖書館。國會(huì)圖書館由坐落在華盛頓特區(qū)的三座建筑物組成，館內(nèi)卷帙浩繁，構(gòu)造宏偉，因而一直以來眾多電影中都可見其身影。國會(huì)圖書館藏書3000萬有余，所涉語種應(yīng)有盡有，稱其為國會(huì)圖書館可謂名副其實(shí)。公眾可以參觀，但只有美國高官才能將書借出圖書館。

2. Moscow’s Institute for Scientific Information Russian Academy of Sciences

This library’s 13.5 million-book collection was established to collate any and all publications done by research facilities and Russian scholars. If you’re looking for data that are related to findings in the field of linguistics, nuclear power, and even gen biology, then this is the right place to start your search. However, you will need to be part of the selected few who are members of this institute. There are certain requirements that must be met, and you must be elected in. As of this day, there are about 500 members of varying membership levels.

2. 俄羅斯科學(xué)院科技情報(bào)研究所 （位于莫斯科）

該圖書館藏書1350萬，旨在收集研究機(jī)構(gòu)和俄羅斯學(xué)者的著作。如果想查找語言學(xué)、核能甚至遺傳生物學(xué)方面的資料，這里就是你研究起步的好地方。不過，該研究所成員不多，都是經(jīng)過挑選的，你得成為其中一員才行。進(jìn)入該研究所需要滿足特定要求，還必須通過選拔。目前，研究所擁有大約500名不同級(jí)別的會(huì)員。

3. Beijing’s National Library of China

The West doesn’t have a monopoly on libraries, for the East also has its share of the world’s largest libraries, among which is the National Library of China. Situated in Beijing and 26.3 million books in its collection, the NLC is sure to give joy to the average bibliophile. Among its hoard of books, you’ll find the world’s greatest and richest compilations of Chinese writings and ancient documents. Founded in the year 1909 and opened doors to the public three years after, the NLC also contains a lot of Qing Dynasty writings as well as a collection of literature inscribed on bones and tortoise shells.

4. Massachusetts’ Harvard University Library

Compared to all the other universities in the world, Harvard University Library houses the most enormous private collection of books. Established in the year 1638, the Harvard library is considered as America’s oldest. John Harvard was the first to add books to this great collection, which was initially composed of just 400 books. As the years went by, the collection grew to large proportions and keeps on doing so to this day. In the year 1764, the Harvard University Library housed the United States’ most impressive collection of books, but a disastrous fire destroyed that status as it turned a considerable number of books into ashes. Today, the library has a total of over 13 million books displayed in 90 library wings, each dealing with a particular field of study.

3. 中國國家圖書館 （位于北京）

圖書館并非西方獨(dú)有，東方也有圖書館稱得上世界之最，其中之一便是中國國家圖書館。該館位于北京，藏書2630萬，足以讓廣大愛書人欣喜。在它的書海中，你會(huì)找到世界上最偉大、最豐富的中文著作和古代文獻(xiàn)。中國國家圖書館建于1909年，建館三年后對(duì)民眾開放。館內(nèi)還藏有大量清朝著作以及甲骨文文獻(xiàn)。

4. 哈佛大學(xué)圖書館 （位于馬薩諸塞州）

與世界其他大學(xué)相比，哈佛大學(xué)圖書館擁有最多的私藏圖書。該館建于1638年，是美洲最古老的圖書館。約翰·哈佛是最早為其捐書的人，該圖書館最初僅有400冊(cè)藏書。年復(fù)一年，哈佛大學(xué)圖書館已有大量藏書，直到今天仍在不斷增加。1764年，哈佛大學(xué)圖書館已成為全美藏書最多的圖書館，但一場(chǎng)災(zāi)難性的大火卻將其大部分書籍燒成灰燼。如今，該館藏書超過1300萬，分布在90個(gè)不同的學(xué)術(shù)分館之中。

5. Ottawa’s National Library of Canada

With nearly 19 million books in its collection, the National Library of Canada is also a contender for the biggest library in the world. Founded in 1953, the library was established with the goal of collecting and preserving Canada’s heritage in the form of documents, texts, pictures, and other writings related to the country’s culture and history. You can even find one of North America’s most ancient books in this library. The said book, by the 1stcentury historian, Flavius Josephus, was printed in the year 1470. If you’re planning to set your sights on the book, however, you’ll have to get permission and be granted with the special viewing privilege as it, along with a number of other books, is kept in safety vaults.

6. St. Petersburg’s Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Commissioned by the Russian Federation for the purpose of collecting the country’s books and research findings, the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences has a collection that consists of numerous writings done by Russian writers, scientists, and a host of other significant personalities. It is the legal obligation of all writers and scientific institutions who are publishing works to donate a copy of their writings or findings to the library. This played a huge role in helping the library amass such an impressive 20 million-book collection, although the accuracy of this number isn’t guaranteed today, since a fire that happened at some point in the past destroyed a large chunk of the collection. No one can say just how many of the books were recovered or replaced and how many books were added since then.

5. 加拿大國家圖書館 （位于渥太華）

加拿大國家圖書館藏書近1900萬，也可稱得上世界之最。該館建于1953年，旨在收藏并保存與加拿大文化歷史相關(guān)的文獻(xiàn)、文本、圖片及其他形式的著作。館中甚至還藏有一本北美最古老的書。據(jù)說這本書是公元1世紀(jì)的歷史學(xué)家弗拉維奧·約瑟夫斯的著作，1470年印刷。不過，只有經(jīng)過許可并獲得特別閱覽權(quán)才能看到，因?yàn)檫@本書和很多其他圖書都保存在圖書館的保險(xiǎn)庫中。

6. 俄羅斯科學(xué)院圖書館（位于圣彼得堡）

俄羅斯科學(xué)院圖書館受俄羅斯聯(lián)邦委托收集該國書籍和研究成果，館內(nèi)藏有俄羅斯作家、科學(xué)家及其他許多要人的大量著作。法律規(guī)定，所有發(fā)表著作的作家和科研機(jī)構(gòu)都有義務(wù)向該圖書館提供一份作品或成果的副本。這極大地促進(jìn)了該館藏書的積累，曾多達(dá)2000萬冊(cè)。不過，現(xiàn)在無法確認(rèn)這個(gè)數(shù)字是否準(zhǔn)確，因?yàn)樵l(fā)生過一次火災(zāi)，燒毀了該館很大一部分藏書。沒人能說清火災(zāi)之后到底復(fù)原更換了多少書，又新增了多少書。

7. Frankfurt’s German National Library

Housing a collection that consists of approximately 18.5 million books, the German National Library in Frankfurt has done a satisfactory job of painstakingly accumulating every German publication and work, which was the intention behind the library’s founding. The library collects not only works done by the Germans, but also any publication related to the nation. Examples of such works include propaganda from the countries mixed up in the world war. Perhaps one of the most unique features of this library is the branch that displays all the German music records as well as the publications that deal solely with music.

7. 德國國家圖書館 （位于法蘭克福）

位于法蘭克福的德國國家圖書館擁有大約1850萬藏書，承擔(dān)了收集所有德國出版物的艱難任務(wù)，任務(wù)目前進(jìn)展順利，這也是該館創(chuàng)建的初衷。館中不僅收藏德國人的著作，也收藏與德國相關(guān)的著作，例如包括世界大戰(zhàn)所涉各國的宣傳資料在內(nèi)的各種作品?；蛟S該館一大特色在于有分區(qū)展列德國所有的唱片以及音樂專題出版物。

8. Kiev’s Vernadsky National Scientific Library of Ukraine

With a collection of writings, manuscripts, and books reaching more than 13 million, the Vernadsky National Scientific Library in Kiev is the country’s hub of information. The library was founded in 1918, and a lot of its collection can trace back their roots to the 18thand 19thcenturies. Apart from the collections of the country’s presidents, the library also houses Ukraine’s scientific archives, scientific works, and cultural compositions and manuscripts. Every year, the library acquires over half a million documents and works.

9. New York Public Library

Another library worth mentioning is the New York Public Library, which has about 11 million books to its name2to one’s name在……名下；歸……所有。. Aimed at bringing history and information closer to the general public, the library has plenty of branches scattered throughout New York where people can check out books as they wish. However, there are also branches that are solely for research and where check outs aren’t allowed. Much of the library’s funding over the years was from private individuals and rich philanthropists.

8. 烏克蘭沃爾納德斯基國家科學(xué)圖書館 （位于基輔）

位于基輔的沃爾納德斯基國家科學(xué)圖書館擁有超過1300萬的著作、手稿和圖書，是該國的資料中心。該館建于1918年，很多藏書的歷史可追溯至18和19世紀(jì)。該館除保存國家總統(tǒng)收藏的書籍，還藏有烏克蘭的科學(xué)檔案、科學(xué)著作以及文化作品和手稿。該館每年增添超過50萬的文獻(xiàn)作品。

9. 紐約公立圖書館

另一個(gè)值得一提的圖書館是紐約公立圖書館，擁有1100萬藏書。為了讓大眾走近歷史和知識(shí)，該館在紐約各地設(shè)有多個(gè)分館，這樣人們就可以隨意借閱書籍。然而，有些分館僅供研究之用，不能外借圖書。多年來，該館的基金大多來源于私人捐款和慈善資助。

10. London’s British Library

When it comes to the number of items in its collection, the British Library is unparalleled. It has over 150 million items, a lot of which are works circulated in the United Kingdom. The library also has scores of3scores of大量的。items from other countries and has books written in a multitude of languages. You will also discover that these works can be found in formats ranging from stone inscriptions to digital publications. The growth rate of the British Library is 3 million pieces per year. ■

10. 大英圖書館 （位于倫敦）

大英圖書館藏書之多無與倫比，超過1.5億，其中有許多在英國發(fā)行的著作。該館還有大量他國圖書及多語種書籍。另外，從石刻資料到電子出版物，作品形式多樣。大英圖書館藏書每年新增300萬冊(cè)。 □

世界10大圖書館

譯/向太陽