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Unit 9: National Libraries

And performs the following functions also: Notes
producing a national bibliography;
holding and keeping up to date a large and representative collection of foreign literature,
including books about the country;
acting as a national bibliographical information centre;
compiling union catalogues;

publishing the retrospective national bibliography.
This definition states that libraries which may be called ‘national’ but whose functions do not
correspond to the above definitions should not be placed in the ‘national libraries’ category.
A more comprehensive definition of a National Library was attempted by UNESCO, at its 16th
Session of the General Conference held in 1970, when UNESCO made “Recommendations
Concerning International Standardisation of Library Statistics”.

The following definition of the National Library occurs in this document:
“Libraries which, irrespective of the titles, are responsible for acquiring and conserving copies of all
significant publications published in the country and functioning as a deposit library either by law or under
other arrangements. They will also normally perform some of the following functions produce a national
bibliography, hold and keep up-to-date a large representative collection or foreign literature, including books
about the country; act as a national bibliographical information centre; compile union catalogues and
publish retrospective bibliographies..”

This definition is quite comprehensive and covers seven of the most important functions of a
National Library.
The objects, functions and activities of a National Library lave been a subject of discussion and
debate in many forums in the last two decades. Although no conclusive definition has ever
emerged, some consensus and practices have guided National Libraries that are developing in
the third world countries.

Example: National Library of India–Kolkata,
British Library–London,
Library of Congress–Washington,
The Russian State Library–Moscow,

The Bibliotheque Nationale–Paris

9.1.2 Purpose of National Library

While discussing the overall objectives of National Central Library, Ranganathan emphasised
that:

“The National Central Library should be national in every sense of the word and not merely the symbolic
representation of the library personality of the nation. It must be the channel through which all the library
obligations of the nation to the international world are discharged. It should be national in the sense of
learning the ultimate book bank of the nation capable of supplementing the library resources, of every
locality, by being open for use by any citizen wherever he might live and whether in the preset or in the
future. It should also be national in the sense of having representative copies, of every reading and kindred
material published within or on our country and by or on all the nationals of our country. It should also

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