To protect the books, the storage area has equipment to maintain constant temperature and humidity, and to protect the storage against fire, theft and ultraviolet rays. The firefighting device is the most advanced gas extinguishing system. Thirty seconds after the sounding of an alarm, the gate closes automatically, and solid carbon dioxide is jetted to extinguish the fire. Gas was selected because it causes minimal harm to people and to the collection.

A Brief Introduction of the National Library of China

The National Library of China was built on September 9, 1909, and was

officially opened to the public on August 27, 1912. In the 1920s, the library started to collect books written in foreign languages. It is the largest

depository of classical foreign books or periodicals in China. It also has a large collection of publications of international organizations and foreign

governments. As of the end of 2007, the library had a total collection of 26

million volumes/items. Its collection of Chinese documents and information

was the largest in the world, while its collection of foreign-language books

was the largest in China.

Below is an inventory of the library’s collections as of the end of 2007

Chinese books: 4,732,210 volumes, including Chinese books published in China and overseas.

Foreign-language books: 3,410,844 volumes in English, French, German and many other languages.

Chinese periodicals: 50,283 titles, 6,070,670 volumes

Foreign-language periodicals: 46,108 titles, 6,443,569 volumes

Chinese newspapers: 7,553 titles, 105,248 bound volumes

Foreign-language newspapers: 1,699 titles, 89,881 bound volumes

Ancient rare editions: Ancient rare editions in mandarin Chinese, more than 270,000 volumes; materials in minority languages, 151,873 volumes/items

Microfiche: 1,346,547 reels /copies/sheets

Publications of international organizations and foreign governments: More than 500,000 items

Audio material: More than 40,000

Visual material: More 100,000 copies/discs/boxes

Database: 127 databases, purchased, self-constructed or acquired through other means

Source: the National Library of China