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.