The New York Public Library consists of 4 research centers and 85 branch libraries in Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx. With more materials than any other public library in the nation, it is the largest research library with a circulating system in the world. Established in 1895, the NYPL's collection has grown to more than 52 million items and serves millions of users. The British Library is the United Kingdom's national library. Based in London and Yorkshire, it holds more than 62 million items, including prized manuscripts, rare maps and thousands of precious documents.
Some documents are viewable online.
If you speak French, the Bibliotheque nationale de France's home page offers a number of services. For those confined to English, there is an alternate page with limited information. To look up libraries by type and geographical location, try Web Cats . A.L. Tell a friend about this article or read other LibrarySpot features .