National Library

The National Library was founded by King Philip V at the end of 1711 (then called the Royal Library). Its main branch on the Paseo de Recoletos (opened in 1896) houses a copy of every book published in Spain, as well as a valuable collection of incunabula, manuscripts, prints, drawings, photographs, maps, sound recordings, musical scores, and more. It has a second branch in Alcalá de Henares. The National Library disseminates this bibliographic heritage through its catalog and the compilation of the Spanish Bibliography, and provides services to the public ranging from reading rooms and online services via its website to specialized bibliographic information services and interlibrary loan. To consult these collections, you must have a library card or researcher card. In addition, the National Library of Spain (BNE) also houses the National Newspaper Library, which, thanks to its digitization process begun in 2007, allows for the consultation and public dissemination, via the Internet, of historical and modern Spanish newspapers that form part of the National Library's collection. Through its freely accessible Exhibition Halls, the collections, the operation, and the history of the National Library are showcased.