With education as our focus here at The Best Colleges, we obviously love libraries. College libraries, public libraries, private libraries — whatever and wherever they are, we love them all. For those of you not “of a certain age,” a library is a quiet building that houses tons of books and reference materials, typically dating back to Ye Olde Pre-Internet Times. The following five are libraries that we thought deserved a closer look — we hope you’ll agree!
1. Library of Congress — Washington D.C., USA
The Library of Congress in Washington DC is essentially both the national library of the U.S. and the country’s oldest federal cultural institution. Though it consists of only three buildings, it is the largest library in the world for shelf space and number of volumes. While open to the public for on-site research and as a tourist attraction, as the research institution of Congress, only members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, and other specified government officials can check out books. The library is formally known as the “library of last resort” in the U.S., charged with making certain items available to other national libraries if all other means have been exhausted.
2. Bodleian Library — Oxford, United Kingdom
Established in 1602 as Oxford University’s library, Bodleian is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. The library houses more than 11 million items, including many of historical importance: four copies of the Magna Carta, a Gutenberg Bible, and Shakespeare’s First Folio (from 1623), just to name a few. Though Bodleian comprises multiple buildings, perhaps the most visually interesting is Radcliffe Camera, built in 1737-1749 to house the Radcliffe Science Library.
3. Reading Room at the British Museum — London, England
The Reading Room at the British Museum is located in the center of the Museum’s Great Court. The building’s domed exterior protects a unique interior ceiling made of a special kind of papier-mache, which is another first on our list! For much of the Room’s history, access was limited to registered researchers, attracting notable visitors including Karl Marx, Oscar Wilde, Mahatma Gandhi, Rudyard Kipling, George Orwell, Mark Twain, Lenin, and H.G. Wells during this time.
4. Yale University Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library — New Haven, Connecticut, USA
The Yale University Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library holds the distinction of being the largest building in the world that serves the express purpose of preserving rare books and manuscripts, which alone undoubtedly makes it one of the best libraries in the world. The library’s impressive holdings celebrate significant authors like Rudyard Kipling, D.H. Lawrence, Sinclair Lewis, and Joseph Conrad through its special collections.
5. Vatican Library — Vatican City, Rome
The Vatican Library, under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, is one of the oldest libraries in the world. Though it was formally established in 1475, its existence in early forms dates back to the origins of the Catholic Church. For nearly 600 years, the library has added to its collection through historic acquisitions, generous bequests, and gracious gifts. The Vatican Library currently holds more than 1.1 million books, 75,000 manuscripts, and over 8,500 incunabula.
Courtesy thebestcolleges.com
Published in Young Nation Magazine on May 13, 2017
