National Library of Brazil

The National Library of Brazil (Portuguese: Biblioteca Nacional do Brasil, officially Fundacao Biblioteca Nacional) is the depository of the bibliographic and documentary heritage of Brazil. Located in Rio de Janeiro on Cinelandia square, the institution is considered by UNESCO to be the largest library in Latin America and ranks among the top ten largest libraries in the world. Its collections encompass approximately 9 million items, including over 2 million documents available online. Recognized as the oldest cultural institution in the country, it has played a foundational role in library science in the region, organizing the first library science courses in South America and leading the modernization of library services through the development of online databases.

The origins of the library trace back to the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, which destroyed the Royal Library of Ajuda and its 70,000 documents. King Joseph I of Portugal subsequently commissioned a new collection, which grew to 60,000 items by the time the royal family fled to Brazil in 1807 to escape Napoleonic invasions. The books were accidentally left on the Lisbon docks during the confusion of embarkation and were shipped to Rio de Janeiro in three stages, arriving in 1810 and 1811. Initially housed in the upstairs rooms of the Third Order of Carmel Hospital, Prince Regent John VI issued a decree on October 29, 1810, establishing the Royal Library. Public consultation began in 1814. When the royal family returned to Portugal in 1821, the majority of the collection remained in Brazil. Following Brazilian independence in 1822, the newly formed empire purchased the library for 800 contos de reis (part of a two million pound sterling indemnity) under an 1825 treaty, renaming it the Imperial and Public Library of the Court. In 1990, it became the Fundacao Biblioteca Nacional, expanding its scope to include books, reading, and library initiatives under the Ministry of Culture.

The library's holdings have expanded continuously through purchases, donations, and legal deposit mandates. A decree in 1805 required copies of all Portuguese printed material to be sent to the library, a mandate refined by the Legal Deposit Decree of December 20, 1907. This decree was replaced in 2004 by Law no. 10,994, which still requires publishers to submit one copy of each publication to ensure the registration, custody, and preservation of national intellectual production. Today, the collection spans manuscripts, maps, drawings, musical scores, and photographs, with particular strengths in agriculture, botany, Brazilian history, chemistry, Latin American music, mathematics, medicine, physics, social sciences, and zoology. It also preserves the rare books and the former Portuguese Royal Library collection.

Among the most significant holdings is the Teresa Cristina Maria Collection, which focuses on Brazilian history and comprises over 21,000 photographs. This collection was inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2003, underscoring its historical and cultural importance. The broader rare books division preserves crucial manuscripts and early printed works that document the intellectual and political history of Brazil and Portugal.

The library moved to a building on Passeio street in Lapa square in 1858, but continuous collection growth necessitated a larger, more modern facility. The cornerstone for the current building was laid on August 15, 1905, during the government of Rodrigues Alves, and it was inaugurated on October 29, 1910, exactly one century after the library's founding, under President Nilo Pecanha. Designed by military engineer Francisco Marcelino de Souza Aguiar, the structure features an eclectic architectural style blending neoclassical and Art Nouveau elements. It incorporates advanced features such as glass floors in the stacks, metal shelving, and pneumatic tubes for transporting books from storage to reading rooms. The interior is adorned with ornaments and artworks by Eliseu Visconti, Henrique and Rodolfo Bernardelli, Modesto Brocos, and Rodolfo Amoedo. Visconti had previously designed the library's ex-libris and emblem in 1903. Transferring approximately 400,000 works into the new building took a year, completed in 1,132 trips without interrupting reader services. Located at Rio Branco Avenue number 219 on Cinelandia Square, the building forms a valuable architectural and cultural ensemble with the National Museum of Fine Arts and the Municipal Theater.

The National Library of Brazil is located at Rio Branco Avenue number 219, Cinelandia Square, in the center of Rio de Janeiro. Operating under the official name Fundacao Biblioteca Nacional, the institution is linked to the federal government and continues its mandate to collect, preserve, and disseminate the nation's documentary heritage. It remains open to the public and scholars, providing access to its vast collections and digital databases. Further information regarding access and services is available through its official website at https://gov.br/bn.