National Library of Israel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids National Library of Israel |
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| New building by Herzog & de Meuron (2023) | |
| Country | Israel |
| Established | 1892 |
| Reference to legal mandate | The Legal Deposit of generally available documents |
| Location | Jerusalem |
| Coordinates | 31°46′38″N 35°12′12″E / 31.77722°N 35.20333°E |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | Unique collections of manuscripts, special collections of books, music, radio and television programmes, film, theatre, maps, posters, pictures, photographs, electronic documents and newspapers. |
| Size | 5 million volumes |
| Other information | |
| Budget | Approximately 100 million NIS (₪) |
| Director | Oren Weinberg |
| Staff | 367 |
The National Library of Israel (NLI) is a very important library. It collects all the cultural treasures of Israel and of Jewish heritage. The library holds more than 5 million books. It is located in Jerusalem, near the Knesset, which is Israel's parliament.
The National Library has the world's largest collections of "Hebraica" (books about Jewish studies, often in Hebrew) and "Judaica" (books and items about Jewish culture and history). It also keeps many rare and unique handwritten books, special books, and old artifacts.
Contents
History of the Library
Early Beginnings (1892–1925)
The idea for a Jewish National Library in Jerusalem came from a man named Joseph Chazanovitz. He wanted to create a "home for all works" by Jewish authors, no matter the language. Chazanovitz collected about 15,000 books. These books later became the first part of the library's collection.
The B'nai Brith library opened in Jerusalem in 1892. It was the first public library in the region of Palestine for the Jewish community. The library was first on B'nai Brith street. Later, it moved to Ethiopia Street.
Becoming a University Library (1925–2007)
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In 1920, when the Hebrew University of Jerusalem was being planned, the B'nai Brith collection became the start of its university library. The books were moved to Mount Scopus when the university opened in 1925.
In 1948, the university campus on Mount Scopus became hard to reach. So, most of the books were moved to a temporary place in the Terra Sancta building. By then, the university had over one million books. Because there wasn't enough space, some books were stored in different places around the city. In 1960, all the books were moved to a new building in Givat Ram.
In the late 1970s, new university buildings opened on Mount Scopus. Some departments moved back there. This meant fewer people visited the Givat Ram library. In the 1990s, the Givat Ram building had problems like leaks and insects.
Official National Library Status (2007)
In 2007, a new law was passed. This law officially made the library "The National Library of the State of Israel." The law changed the library's name to "National Library of Israel." It also made the library a separate company. It is now owned by the Government of Israel (50%), the Hebrew University (25%), and other groups.
A New Home for the Library
In 2014, plans for a new library building in Jerusalem were shown. The building is very large, about 34,000 square meters. It was designed by a famous architecture firm called Herzog & de Meuron. The first stone for the new building was laid in 2016.
The new building opened its doors to the public on October 29, 2023. Some opening events were changed due to the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. The old library building at Givat Ram was used until September 2023.
Temporary Closure (2020)
In August 2020, the National Library announced it would close for a while. This was because of money problems and government issues. The closure lasted for several weeks. Most employees worked from home or took time off. The library still offered online services during this time.
What the Library Collects
The library has an important job. It collects copies of everything published in Israel, no matter the language. It also collects all publications about Israel, the Land of Israel, Judaism, and the Jewish people. This includes materials published in any language, anywhere in the world. It also collects everything published in Hebrew or other languages spoken by Jewish communities, like Yiddish and Ladino.
By law, two copies of every printed item published in Israel must be given to the National Library. In 2001, this law was updated. It now includes audio and video recordings, and other digital media. Many old handwritten books, like the 13th-century Worms Mahzor, have been scanned. You can see them on the library's website. The library is also digitizing over 2,500 rare manuscripts and books. These will be available online for free. These works are in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu. They date from the 9th to the 20th centuries.
Special Collections
The library has many unique collections. These include the personal papers of hundreds of important Jewish people. There are also the National Sound Archives and a collection of maps. The Sidney Edelstein Collection focuses on the history of science. Many other collections are about Hebraica and Judaica.
The library also has some of Isaac Newton's handwritten papers. These papers are about religious topics. The collection includes Newton's writings on ancient texts and his ideas about the end of the world. It also has maps that Newton drew to help with his calculations. The library also keeps the personal papers of famous thinkers like Martin Buber and Gershom Scholem. The Gershom Scholem Collection focuses on Kabbalah and Hasidism. It includes Scholem's own library.
After 1948, many books from Palestinian homes were brought to the National Library. These collections included books from people like Henry Cattan and Khalil Beidas. About 30,000 books came from homes in West Jerusalem. Another 40,000 came from other cities. These books are now part of the library's collection. About 6,000 of these books are labeled "Abandoned Property." They are listed in the library's catalog and can be used by the public.
In 2019, the National Library of Israel received the complete collection of papers from Max Brod. This included papers from Franz Kafka. An Irish man named Stuart Rosenblatt donated his 22-volume collection, "Genealogical History of the Irish Jewish Communities," to the library in 2022.
See also
In Spanish: Biblioteca Nacional de Israel para niños
- Judaica Archival Project
- List of national and state libraries
- Union List of Israel, combined library catalog with over 5 million entries
