10 Biggest Libraries in the World

2017-09-08向太阳

英语世界 2017年4期

There are plenty of reasons why people go to the library. A lot are there to be able to gather information on whatever they’re working on at the moment, be it for school, for work, or for personal research. There are a few who make use of the library only when specific data and information can’t be had by any other means. No matter what your motive for visiting the library is, you’ll surely want to set your eyes on the following ten largest libraries in the world:

1. Washington, D.C.’s Library of Congress

If you’ve already watched the movie National Treasure 2, then you’ve already taken a glimpse of this magnificent library. Within the confines of1within the confines of在……范围内。this center, you’ll find all you need to answer your questions about culture, science, philosophy, history, and any other subject matter. During the War of 1812, a huge portion of the original collection was sold. Fortunately, another 6,457 books were sold to the library by Thomas Jefferson from his very own collection. Composed of three buildings in Washington, D.C., the Library of Congress is such an impressive display of books and a grandly designed structure that it has been used in numerous movies to this date. With a vast book collection at over 30 million and written in just about any language you can think of, the Library of Congress definitely deserves all the fame. The public can visit the library, but only high ranking American officials are allowed to check out books.

人们去图书馆的理由多种多样。很多人是为了学习、工作或者个人研究，去那儿收集手头所做之事需要的信息。有些人去图书馆则是因为无法通过其他方式找到特定数据和信息。不论你逛图书馆的动机是什么，势必都想一窥这世界十大图书馆的风采。

1. 美国国会图书馆（位于华盛顿特区）

如果看过电影《国家宝藏2》，那你一定见过这座巨大的图书馆。在这个图书馆里，可以找到所需的种种资料来解答文化、科学、哲学、历史等各方面的问题。

1812年战争期间，大部分原有藏书都卖掉了。所幸托马斯·杰斐逊将自己的6457册私人藏书出售给了图书馆。国会图书馆由坐落在华盛顿特区的三座建筑物组成，馆内卷帙浩繁，构造宏伟，因而一直以来众多电影中都可见其身影。国会图书馆藏书3000万有余，所涉语种应有尽有，称其为国会图书馆可谓名副其实。公众可以参观，但只有美国高官才能将书借出图书馆。

2. Moscow’s Institute for Scientific Information Russian Academy of Sciences

This library’s 13.5 million-book collection was established to collate any and all publications done by research facilities and Russian scholars. If you’re looking for data that are related to findings in the field of linguistics, nuclear power, and even gen biology, then this is the right place to start your search. However, you will need to be part of the selected few who are members of this institute. There are certain requirements that must be met, and you must be elected in. As of this day, there are about 500 members of varying membership levels.

2. 俄罗斯科学院科技情报研究所（位于莫斯科）

该图书馆藏书1350万，旨在收集研究机构和俄罗斯学者的著作。如果想查找语言学、核能甚至遗传生物学方面的资料，这里就是你研究起步的好地方。不过，该研究所成员不多，都是经过挑选的，你得成为其中一员才行。进入该研究所需要满足特定要求，还必须通过选拔。目前，研究所拥有大约500名不同级别的会员。

3. Beijing’s National Library of China

The West doesn’t have a monopoly on libraries, for the East also has its share of the world’s largest libraries, among which is the National Library of China. Situated in Beijing and 26.3 million books in its collection, the NLC is sure to give joy to the average bibliophile. Among its hoard of books, you’ll find the world’s greatest and richest compilations of Chinese writings and ancient documents. Founded in the year 1909 and opened doors to the public three years after, the NLC also contains a lot of Qing Dynasty writings as well as a collection of literature inscribed on bones and tortoise shells.

4. Massachusetts’ Harvard University Library

Compared to all the other universities in the world, Harvard University Library houses the most enormous private collection of books. Established in the year 1638, the Harvard library is considered as America’s oldest. John Harvard was the first to add books to this great collection, which was initially composed of just 400 books. As the years went by, the collection grew to large proportions and keeps on doing so to this day. In the year 1764, the Harvard University Library housed the United States’ most impressive collection of books, but a disastrous fire destroyed that status as it turned a considerable number of books into ashes. Today, the library has a total of over 13 million books displayed in 90 library wings, each dealing with a particular field of study.

3. 中国国家图书馆（位于北京）

图书馆并非西方独有，东方也有图书馆称得上世界之最，其中之一便是中国国家图书馆。该馆位于北京，藏书2630万，足以让广大爱书人欣喜。在它的书海中，你会找到世界上最伟大、最丰富的中文著作和古代文献。中国国家图书馆建于1909年，建馆三年后对民众开放。馆内还藏有大量清朝著作以及甲骨文文献。

4. 哈佛大学图书馆（位于马萨诸塞州）

与世界其他大学相比，哈佛大学图书馆拥有最多的私藏图书。该馆建于1638年，是美洲最古老的图书馆。约翰·哈佛是最早为其捐书的人，该图书馆最初仅有400册藏书。年复一年，哈佛大学图书馆已有大量藏书，直到今天仍在不断增加。1764年，哈佛大学图书馆已成为全美藏书最多的图书馆，但一场灾难性的大火却将其大部分书籍烧成灰烬。如今，该馆藏书超过1300万，分布在90个不同的学术分馆之中。

5. Ottawa’s National Library of Canada

With nearly 19 million books in its collection, the National Library of Canada is also a contender for the biggest library in the world. Founded in 1953, the library was established with the goal of collecting and preserving Canada’s heritage in the form of documents, texts, pictures, and other writings related to the country’s culture and history. You can even find one of North America’s most ancient books in this library. The said book, by the 1stcentury historian, Flavius Josephus, was printed in the year 1470. If you’re planning to set your sights on the book, however, you’ll have to get permission and be granted with the special viewing privilege as it, along with a number of other books, is kept in safety vaults.

6. St. Petersburg’s Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Commissioned by the Russian Federation for the purpose of collecting the country’s books and research findings, the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences has a collection that consists of numerous writings done by Russian writers, scientists, and a host of other significant personalities. It is the legal obligation of all writers and scientific institutions who are publishing works to donate a copy of their writings or findings to the library. This played a huge role in helping the library amass such an impressive 20 million-book collection, although the accuracy of this number isn’t guaranteed today, since a fire that happened at some point in the past destroyed a large chunk of the collection. No one can say just how many of the books were recovered or replaced and how many books were added since then.

5. 加拿大国家图书馆（位于渥太华）

加拿大国家图书馆藏书近1900万，也可称得上世界之最。该馆建于1953年，旨在收藏并保存与加拿大文化历史相关的文献、文本、图片及其他形式的著作。馆中甚至还藏有一本北美最古老的书。据说这本书是公元1世纪的历史学家弗拉维奥·约瑟夫斯的著作，1470年印刷。不过，只有经过许可并获得特别阅览权才能看到，因为这本书和很多其他图书都保存在图书馆的保险库中。

6. 俄罗斯科学院图书馆（位于圣彼得堡）

俄罗斯科学院图书馆受俄罗斯联邦委托收集该国书籍和研究成果，馆内藏有俄罗斯作家、科学家及其他许多要人的大量著作。法律规定，所有发表著作的作家和科研机构都有义务向该图书馆提供一份作品或成果的副本。这极大地促进了该馆藏书的积累，曾多达2000万册。不过，现在无法确认这个数字是否准确，因为曾发生过一次火灾，烧毁了该馆很大一部分藏书。没人能说清火灾之后到底复原更换了多少书，又新增了多少书。

7. Frankfurt’s German National Library

Housing a collection that consists of approximately 18.5 million books, the German National Library in Frankfurt has done a satisfactory job of painstakingly accumulating every German publication and work, which was the intention behind the library’s founding. The library collects not only works done by the Germans, but also any publication related to the nation. Examples of such works include propaganda from the countries mixed up in the world war. Perhaps one of the most unique features of this library is the branch that displays all the German music records as well as the publications that deal solely with music.

7. 德国国家图书馆（位于法兰克福）

位于法兰克福的德国国家图书馆拥有大约1850万藏书，承担了收集所有德国出版物的艰难任务，任务目前进展顺利，这也是该馆创建的初衷。馆中不仅收藏德国人的著作，也收藏与德国相关的著作，例如包括世界大战所涉各国的宣传资料在内的各种作品。或许该馆一大特色在于有分区展列德国所有的唱片以及音乐专题出版物。

8. Kiev’s Vernadsky National Scientific Library of Ukraine

With a collection of writings, manuscripts, and books reaching more than 13 million, the Vernadsky National Scientific Library in Kiev is the country’s hub of information. The library was founded in 1918, and a lot of its collection can trace back their roots to the 18thand 19thcenturies. Apart from the collections of the country’s presidents, the library also houses Ukraine’s scientific archives, scientific works, and cultural compositions and manuscripts. Every year, the library acquires over half a million documents and works.

9. New York Public Library

Another library worth mentioning is the New York Public Library, which has about 11 million books to its name2to one’s name在……名下；归……所有。. Aimed at bringing history and information closer to the general public, the library has plenty of branches scattered throughout New York where people can check out books as they wish. However, there are also branches that are solely for research and where check outs aren’t allowed. Much of the library’s funding over the years was from private individuals and rich philanthropists.

8. 乌克兰沃尔纳德斯基国家科学图书馆（位于基辅）

位于基辅的沃尔纳德斯基国家科学图书馆拥有超过1300万的著作、手稿和图书，是该国的资料中心。该馆建于1918年，很多藏书的历史可追溯至18和19世纪。该馆除保存国家总统收藏的书籍，还藏有乌克兰的科学档案、科学著作以及文化作品和手稿。该馆每年增添超过50万的文献作品。

9. 纽约公立图书馆

另一个值得一提的图书馆是纽约公立图书馆，拥有1100万藏书。为了让大众走近历史和知识，该馆在纽约各地设有多个分馆，这样人们就可以随意借阅书籍。然而，有些分馆仅供研究之用，不能外借图书。多年来，该馆的基金大多来源于私人捐款和慈善资助。

10. London’s British Library

When it comes to the number of items in its collection, the British Library is unparalleled. It has over 150 million items, a lot of which are works circulated in the United Kingdom. The library also has scores of3scores of大量的。items from other countries and has books written in a multitude of languages. You will also discover that these works can be found in formats ranging from stone inscriptions to digital publications. The growth rate of the British Library is 3 million pieces per year. ■