national library

A national library is a library maintained by a country's government, typically responsible for collecting and preserving the nation's literature. These libraries often receive a free copy of every book and periodical published in their country through legal deposit rights.12

National libraries aim to be comprehensive in their collections, encompassing both national and international works, though maintaining this comprehensiveness is increasingly challenging due to the vast number of global publications. Famous examples include the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, the British Library in London, and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.. Many national libraries also play a role in publishing national bibliographies and maintaining national bibliographic information centers.123