Rampur Raza Library, Uttar Pradesh, India
The Rampur Raza Library is one of the world’s beautiful library registered as a national monument, the 18th-century Rampur Raza Library in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, has been a powerhouse of Indo-Islamic studies since its founder, ruler Nawab Faizullah Khan, set it up in 1774. The collection, which started as his private one, has been added to over the years, and includes manuscripts and palm leaves with inscriptions on. It’s open every day except Friday. It contains very rare and valuable collection of manuscripts, historical documents, specimens of Islamic calligraphy, miniature paintings, astronomical instruments and rare illustrated works in Arabic and Persian languages besides 60,000 printed books.
The Raza library Journal is published every year. It contains research articles of noted literateurs of Urdu. The contributors whose views were included in the Journal belonged to senior scholars and university professors, academicians and the research scholars of library. The Journal has become very popular in India and abroad due to its academic standard and vivid illustrations etc.
Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria
Bibliotheca Alexandrina is dedicated to recapture the spirit of openness and scholarship of the original Bibliotheca Alexandrina. It is much more than a library
The Library of Alexandria was reborn in October 2002 to reclaim the mantle of its ancient namesake. It is not just an extraordinarily beautiful building; it is also a vast complex where the arts, history, philosophy, and science come together. Bibliotheca Alexandrina, turning it into a global cultural hub with donations from all around the world – Italy helping with the preservation of manuscripts, Greek lending a hand with antiquities and Americans chipping in with computers, according to National Geographic.The library, which calls itself a “centre for learning, tolerance, dialogue and understanding”, hosts art exhibitions, workshops, has four museums – and is steadily building a collection of up to five million books.
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) 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 United States. The Library is housed in three buildings on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.; it also maintains the Packard Campus in Culpeper, Virginia, which houses the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center.
The Library of Congress claims to be the largest library in the world. Its "collections are universal, not limited by subject, format, or national boundary, and include research materials from all parts of the world and in more than 450 languages. Two-thirds of the books it acquires each year are in languages other than English."
Although the Library is open to the public, only high-ranking government officials and Library employees may check out books and materials (except through Interlibrary loan, which is available to the public. The Library promotes literacy and American literature through projects such as the American Folklife Center, American Memory, Center for the Book, and Poet Laureate.
Old Library, Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College Dublin is right in the heart of Dublin and well served by cross city buses. The DART stations of Pearse Street, Tara Street and Connolly Station are a short walk away. The Book of Kells is Ireland's greatest cultural treasure and the world's most famous medieval manuscript. The 9th century book is a richly decorated copy of the four Gospels of the life of Jesus Christ. Trinity College Dublin will bring visitors back to the 18th century, when the magnificent Old Library building was constructed and which displays the Book of Kells.
Bodleian Library and Divinity Schools, Oxford
Libraries in the Bodleian Libraries group include major research libraries, libraries attached to faculties, departments and other institutions of the University and, of course, the principal University library – the Bodleian Library – which has been a library of legal deposit for 400 years. The Bodleian Library is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. The library was rescued by Sir Thomas Bodley (1545–1613), a Fellow of Merton College and a diplomat in Queen Elizabeth I’s court.
BibliotecaMediceaLaurenziana, Florence
The BibliotecaMediceaLaurenziana, belonging to the Italian Ministerodei Beni e delleAttivitàCulturali e del Turismo is an international research library specializing in the conservation and study of its manuscript and rare book collections.
Austrian National Library, Vienna
The Austrian National Library regards itself as a centre of information and research oriented toward serving the public, as an outstanding national memory institution and as a multi-faceted centre of education and culture. The Austrian National Library is also authorised to collect and archive Austrian web publications or web publications with an Austrian connection, and to make these available for use. A goal of the Austrian National Library is to open itself up to as broad a circle of interested persons as possible. To fulfil this, there are, among other things, regular exhibitions to raise awareness of the holdings and – partly in cooperation with other cultural and educational institutions – events such as readings, book presentations, symposia, and concerts. Together with these and other activities, the Austrian National Library not only fulfils its legal commission to educate, but also expresses its own chosen role as a faceted and multicultural centre of education and culture.
Klementinum Library, Prague
Royal retreat with marble flooring and intricately carved wooden Corinthian columns between the bookshelves, it’s an extraordinarily flamboyant space – with the scalloped balcony and gilded rails adding extra bling to the mezzanine level. Today, the main room is filled with antique globes and clocks as well as books, books and more books.
