Library World Records, 3d ed.

Which are the oldest public libraries in the world? In what years were the first books printed in French, Thai, Japanese, Arabic, Turkish? What are the oldest extant texts written in Chinese, English, Russian, Spanish? When was the first major computer database used in libraries? What are the titles of the largest, smallest or most expensive books ever published? Where is the world’s busiest public library? Which three books were the first to contain photographs? In its updated and expanded third edition, this reference work provides hundreds of fascinating facts about libraries, books, periodicals, reference databases, specialty archives, bookstores, catalogs, technology, information science organizations and library buildings.

Former librarian and information consultant Godfrey Oswald is also the creator of “The Info Connect LIS Directory,” the largest available alphabetical directory on the Internet for librarians. He lives in London, England.

Godfrey Oswald
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 396
Bibliographic Info: 153 photos, appendix, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2017
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6777-5
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2772-4
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments xv
Foreword to the Third Edition by Joyce N. Church 1
Introduction 3
How to Use This Book 5
World Records for National Libraries 7

World Records for Public and Subscription Libraries 21
World Records for University and Academic Libraries 47
World Records for Specialty Libraries and Archives 89

Miscellaneous World Records for Libraries 106
World Records for Books, Periodicals and Bookstores 136
World Records for Library Buildings 251
World Records for Library Catalogs, Databases and Technology 248
World Records for Library and Information Science Organizations 329
Saint Jerome, the Librarian’s Patron Saint 347
The 30 Greatest Texts of All Time 348
Bibliography 349
Index 355

• “It is a Guinness Book of World Records for the bibliophile and lover of libraries…. The work is a tremendous resource for researchers and authors wishing to incorporate library facts and statistics into their work…. recommended.”—Choice
• “Guinness has nothing on this compendium of library records”—Library Journal
• “Consistently fascinating, informative, and entertaining…an indispensable reference work that provides hundreds of fascinating facts about libraries, books, periodicals, reference databases, specialty archives, bookstores, catalogs, technology, information science organizations and library buildings…unreservedly and enthusiastically recommended”—Midwest Book Review
• “Reviews of previous editions: “Intriguing…easy, enjoyable browsing”—Library Journal
• “This ready-reference work is fun to browse…this is an entertaining book that gathers unique information in one volume…this book should surely whet your intellectual appetite…a wide variety of interesting and unusual facts…fascinating…diligent research…will certainly enlighten and entertain”—Booklist
• “An international indispensable reference work on fascinating superlatives covering libraries and books around the world…fascinating…with surprising facts for everyone, this work will certainly enlighten and entertain librarians about the enduring and remarkable history of our institutions.”—Panlibus Magazine
• “Librarians will enjoy dipping in to [this book]”—Australian Library Journal
• “Library World Records has provided an important service”—ARBA
• “This fascinating second edition of Library World Records…celebrates all aspects of library life, and lists the various world records in an orderly index that only a librarian could create…more than simply a comprehensive list of records: it is woven together with a strong and poignant sense of library history”—London Clip
• “Contains everything anyone would want to know about world records related to libraries, reference databases, books and periodicals. The amount of information gathered here is astounding”—Emerald Journal
• “Informative entries…strongly recommended”—Dawn
• “Fascinating facts and figures”—IPMatters
• “Features all the facts that one could possibly need or want to know about libraries…useful”—Reference Reviews
• “A book to dip into…surprising facts for everyone…good”—World Patent Information.