The library is a great place to explore various knowledge through stacks of books and other reading materials neatly arranged on the shelves. But, what happens, if the place is famous not only because of its book collections but is also very famous throughout the world and has been recorded in world records. For those of you who like reading books and want to satisfy your curiosity about these famous libraries? Check it out next!
1. Indonesia has the highest library in the world
There’s no need to go far and dig deep into your pockets if you’re just filling up your curiosity about world-famous libraries, because Indonesia itself also has them, you know . Reporting from the Guinness World Records, the Indonesian National Library or National Library was named the highest library in the world with a height of 126.63 meters or the equivalent of 415 feet and this building consists of a total of 27 floors, including 3 basement floors .
The National Library was established on an area of 11,975 m² with a building area of 50,917, located on Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan, Central Jakarta. Reporting from the website, the National Library is not only filled with books but also has a theater room, exhibitions, and a special children’s room. So, on the top 24th floor there is an Indonesian cultural collection service, an executive lounge , and a room for receiving important and foreign guests.
2. The United States has the largest library in the world
Reporting from the Guinness World Records, the US Library of Congress has been named the largest library in the world, measured by catalog size (number of items). The Washington DC-based US Library of Congress holds approximately 173,731,463 items as of November 2021.
The bookcases are spread across 838 miles or around 1,349 km. The US Library of Congress holds 41 million books and other printed materials, 4.1 million records, 15 million photographs, 5.6 million maps, and 75 million manuscripts.
3. Iraq with the oldest or first library in the world
Quoted from the Guinness World Record, the oldest known library was initiated by Ashurbanipal, King of Assyria, between 668 and 631 BC. The Ashurbanipal Library or The library of Ashurbanipal was located in the royal palace of Nineveh (now northern Iraq, near Mosul), had a collection of around 30,000 clay writing tablets, inscribed with cuneiform letters.
Meanwhile, royal archives have previously been found in Ebla or in present-day Syria. The Ashurbanipal Library was the first to represent a concerted effort to collect and organize literary texts that served no practical purpose. The library contains ancient documents, religious incantations and secular texts, but it also contains several written works including the “Epic of Gilgamesh.”
4. Canada has the smallest library in the world
Next is the smallest library in the world, this library is in Canada, precisely in Cardigan, Prince Edward Island and has been named the smallest library in the world by the world’s official institution in the academic field called World Record Academic . Reporting from the website, this library is operated by John McDonald. The building itself measures 3.5 x 3.5 meters and has a book collection of 1,800 books.
For those who want to register to become a lifetime member, visitors only need to pay 5 dollars or currently around 73,458 rupiah. McDonald as the owner wants to make a bigger breakthrough by registering it with the Guinness World Record . However, unfortunately, his party could not accept the library because it was deemed not to have met the requirements and categories.
These are the libraries that have been recorded in world records. So, are you interested in visiting and reading books in these library rows? Write in the comments.