Calling all bibliophiles: looking for some home-library inspiration? We have found 14 of the most beautiful libraries from around the world! Scroll below to see what we have found, but a quick warning: this post will give you serious travel fever…

1. State Library of South Australia

State Library of South Australia

Located in North Terrace, Adelaide, Australia, the State Library of South Australia is the largest public research library in the state, with a collection of books focused on pre-settlement Australia to present day.

South Australia State Library
Photo by DanEvansphotography.com.au

2. Fisher Fine Arts Library

Also known as the Furness Library, the Fisher Fine Arts Library is located on the University of Pennsylvania’s campus.
Built in 1890, it is home to the University’s archeological collection and has been designated as a National Historical Landmark since 1985.

Fisher Fine Arts Library

3. National Library of Brazil

The Royal Portuguese Reading Room

As the largest library in Latin America, the National Library of Brazil is the seventh largest library in the world and houses about 9 million items.

4. Hearst Castle Gothic Study

Serving as the private library to newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst, the Gothic Study room has many visitors focusing more on the intricate detailing than on the books.

Hearst Castle Gothic Study
Hearst Castle Library

5. Strahov Monastery Library

Strahov Monastery Library

The Strahov Library is located in Prague, Czech Republic, in the Strahov Monastery. It is home to 200,000 volumes, including 3,000 manuscripts and 1,500 first prints located in the special depository and was incorporated into the Memorial of National Literature in 1950.

6. Takeo City Library

Renovated in 2013 from a regular municipal library, the Takeo City Library in Japan now has a spacious layout and over 800,000 visitors per year. It is on the up-and-coming list of tourist attractions in Japan. It even has a Starbucks!

Takeo City Library

7. Skywalker Ranch Library

Skywalker Ranch Library

Known as the Lucas Research Library, this library located in California is a full-service research department for film, television, and theater productions with an extensive collection of books, periodicals, and images.

8. Tama Art University Library

Located in Japan, the Tama Art University Library is dedicated to art education and research for those attending or working for the university. It is also home to numerous collections on design, architecture, film, and photography.

Tama Art University Library

9. Wiblingen Monastery Library

Wiblingen Monastery Library

Built in 1744, this Rococo-style library is housed in the heart of Wiblingen Abbey with many statues and a sweeping ceiling fresco. It was built to hold “the treasures of wisdom and science.”

10. Beinecke Rare Book Library

Located on the Yale University campus, the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library is one of the largest buildings in the world devoted entirely to rare books and manuscripts. While items do not circulate, visitors are always more than welcome to take one of the 180,000 artifacts from the central tower or one million volumes from the underground stacks to the reading rooms.

Beinecke Rare Book Library

11. Port Elizabeth Library

Port Elizabeth Library

Located in one of the largest cities in South Africa, the Port Elizabeth Library is considered the perfect example of Victorian Gothic Architecture. Today, it is the only historic building built as a public library that still serves as such. Visitors are always welcome to browse the stacks.

12. Morgan Library

Previously belonging to Pierpont Morgan, this public library is home to an astonishing amount of rare books, manuscripts, drawings, prints, and ancient artifacts, all collected by the financier himself.

Morgan Library

13. Handelingenkamer Library

Handelingenkamer Library

Literally translating to “Old Library”, the Handelingenkamer Library houses the acts of the First and Lower House of Parliament. Located in the Binnenhof complex, which is the center of politics and the department of justice, the library houses more than 30,000 books.

14. Klementinum Library

Currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic, the Klementinum Library is known for its beautiful Baroque interior and for holding the oldest weather recording for the area from 1775, and continues recording weather data to this day. In 2005, the library received the UNESCO Memory of the World Prize.

Which one is your favorite library? Do you know of an interesting library we don’t have on this list?
Leave a comment below!