National libraries collect, preserve, and organize materials that document the intellectual capital of their respective countries. Because the political histories, intellectual and cultural traditions, and attitudes toward libraries vary considerably from country to country, there is much variety among such institutions and only the most general of definitions applies to them all. According to the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), there are almost 175 institutions serving the functions of national libraries, including those not officially so designated.

Functions of National Libraries

In the context of the history of library and information science, national libraries are a relatively recent phenomenon. There have been collections of books and archives associated with nations for thousands of years, and large-scale libraries in the modern sense have been associated with imperial or other royal courts since the sixteenth century. It is generally agreed that the first national library took...