Book 2, Question 122
Why Do We Have Libraries?
Books are amazing, but buying every book you want would cost a lot. A library is like a warehouse of other brains! It lets one town share thousands of books.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 2
More fun facts
- The British Library in London, founded in 1973, holds around 200 million items and is one of the largest libraries in the world.
- The Great Library of Alexandria was founded in ancient Egypt around 285 BCE.
- Its rulers sent scribes to copy texts from all over the known world.
- Legend says agents searched ships arriving in Alexandria for books to copy.
- The Library of Alexandria was the ancient world's biggest attempt to gather all human knowledge in one place.
- Some experts think bookworms, not a famous fire, are the more likely reason the library's books were lost.
Sources: BBC, National Geographic
Questions kids ask
Do libraries only lend books?
No. Many libraries also offer free internet access and a place to meet people and learn.