The Nation's Largest Libraries: A Listing By Volumes Held
ALA Library Fact Sheet Number 22
This fact sheet lists the top 100 largest libraries in the United States by
volumes held. See below for definitions of "volume" for both public libraries
and academic (college and university) libraries.
Number Source Institution Name Volumes Held
1 L Library of Congress 32,818,014
2 A Harvard University 16,250,117
3 P Boston Public Library 16,141,095
4 A Yale University 12,519,514
5 A University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign 11,686,060
6 A University of California - Berkeley 11,087,687
7 A Columbia University 10,296,816
8 A University of Texas - Austin 9,447,434
9 P Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County 9,261,259
10 A University of Michigan 9,175,102
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11 A Indiana University 8,723,253
12 A University of Chicago 8,597,159
13 S Stanford University 8,500,000
14 A University of California - Los Angeles 8,393,910
15 A Cornell University 8,141,781
16 A University of Wisconsin - Madison 8,059,335
17 P County of Los Angeles Public Library 7,488,196
18 A University of Washington 7,409,221
19 P Detroit Public Library 7,366,782
20 A Princeton University 6,941,254
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21 A University of Minnesota 6,877,699
22 P Queens Borough Public Library 6,609,444
23 A University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill 6,526,824
24 A Ohio State University 6,285,446
25 P New York Public Library, The Branch Libraries 6,222,488
26 P Los Angeles Public Library 6,219,060
27 A University of Pennsylvania 6,096,592
28 A Duke University 5,950,442
29 A University of Arizona 5,722,280
30 P Chicago Public Library 5,721,334
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31 A University of Pittsburgh 5,657,403
32 A University of Virginia 5,532,266
33 P Dallas Public Library 5,462,742
34 A Pennsylvania State University 5,354,645
35 A University of Oklahoma 5,299,924
36 A New York University 5,073,286
37 A Michigan State University 4,994,033
38 A University of Iowa 4,949,636
39 P Hennepin County Library 4,927,693
40 A Northwestern University 4,842,949
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41 F Free Library of Philadelphia 4,642,094
42 A University of Georgia 4,637,291
43 P Cleveland Public Library 4,635,819
44 A Rutgers University 4,529,396
45 A Arizona State University 4,422,239
46 A University of Florida 4,288,118
47 A University of Kansas 4,235,542
48 A Washington University - St. Louis 4,224,113
49 P Miami-Dade Public Library System 4,199,940
50 A University of Southern California 4,084,284
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51 A Louisiana State University 4,082,803
52 A Brigham Young University 4,080,079
53 P Brooklyn Public Library 4,019,226
54 A North Carolina State University 3,981,278
55 P Houston Public Library 3,951,035
56 A Texas A&M University 3,933,535
57 A University of Colorado 3,928,431
58 A University of Connecticut 3,919,423
59 A Brown University 3,825,413
60 A Johns Hopkins University 3,740,029
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61 A State University of New York - Buffalo 3,720,113
62 A University of Kentucky 3,719,548
63 P King County Library System 3,717,571
64 A University of Maryland 3,716,860
65 A University of Rochester 3,701,241
66 A University of California - Davis 3,683,867
67 P Hawaii State Public Library System 3,664,347
68 A Wayne State University 3,660,642
69 P San Diego Public Library 3,645,389
70 A University of Cincinnati 3,631,658
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71 A University of South Carolina 3,629,954
72 A University of Massachusetts 3,578,753
73 A University of Hawaii 3,533,671
74 A University of Missouri - Columbia 3,494,470
75 A Vanderbilt University 3,440,317
76 P Mid-Continent Public Library 3,415,944
77 P Broward County Libraries Division 3,414,251
78 A University of Notre Dame 3,393,290
79 P St. Louis Public Library 3,381,858
80 A Emory University 3,377,140
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81 A University of Utah 3,373,141
82 A University of California - San Diego 3,372,785
83 P Cuyahoga County Public Library 3,337,662
84 P Montgomery County Dept. of Public Libraries 3,315,183
85 A University of Tennessee - Knoxville 3,289,447
86 A University of Miami 3,265,503
87 A Tulane University 3,257,609
88 P Buffalo & Erie County Public Library 3,227,867
89 A Temple University 3,205,539
90 A University of Nebraska - Lincoln 3,204,060
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91 P Allen County Public Library 3,203,217
92 A Syracuse University 3,174,700
93 A Southern Illinois University - Carbondale 3,099,151
94 J Jacksonville Public Library 3,071,780
95 A Auburn University 3,053,468
96 A University of California - Irvine 3,049,706
97 A Georgetown 3,041,624
98 A University of Oregon 2,959,739
99 A University of California - Santa Barbara 2,948,999
100 A Massachsetts Institute of Technology 2,914,052
Sources
L=Library of Congress - Annual Report, FY 2008 - Annual Report of the Librarian
of Congress: For the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 2008. Member of
Association of Research Libraries (ARL <http://www.arl.org>).
A= ARL (Association of Research Libraries) Statistics 2007-08 .
P= Public Library Data Service Statistical Report 2009. Chicago: Public Library
Association (PLA, a division of the American Library Association
<http://www.ala.org/pla>), 2009. See the Public Library Data Service
Statistical Report web page for more information.
S= Stanford Facts: Libraries & Computing. Former member of ARL.
F= Free Library of Philadelphia 2009 Annual Report (PDF).
J= Profile of the Jacksonville (FL) Public Library.
Users should be aware that public library and academic library collections are
dissimilar.
The ARL academic library study takes its definition of volume from the National
Information Standards Organization (NISO): A single physical unit of any
printed, typewritten, handwritten, mimeographed, or processed work,
distinguished from other units by a separate binding, encasement, portfolio, or
other clear distinction, which has been cataloged, classified, and made ready
for use, and which is typically the unit used to charge circulation
transactions.
The PLDS public library report defines "holdings" on its questionnaire: For the
purpose of this data service, holdings will be defined as the number of
cataloged items (number of items, NOT number of titles) plus paperbacks and
videocassettes even if uncataloged.
NOTE: Previous versions of this fact sheet can be accessed via the Internet
Archive Wayback Machine using the original URL
<http://www.ala.org/library/fact22.html>. And this URL still works as a
"shortcut" link to this web page.
=============
Prof. Murilo Bastos da Cunha, Ph. D.
Universidade de Brasilia
Faculdade de Ciência da Informação (FCI)
Brasilia, DF 70710-900 Brasil
Blog: http://a-informacao.blogspot.com/
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