National Library of Benin

The National Library of Benin (French: Bibliothèque nationale du Bénin) is the legal deposit library for Benin. Originally chartered in November 1975 and located in Ouidah, the library moved to a purpose built unit in the Ouando neighbourhood of Porto-Novo during the 1980s.

National Library of Benin
Bibliothèque nationale du Bénin
Location	Benin
Established	1975

History

Benin National Library emblem

Originally located in Ouidah,^[1] The National Library of Benin was established on 25 November 1975 following the approval of the decree n°75-305. The first director of the library was Noël Hontongnon Amoussou. A 1976 Unesco report on the early stages of development of the library underlined the limited budget, the lack of personnel training, and the lack of global planning.^[2] A new building was created during the 1980s in Porto-Novo, which was opened to the public in 1987.^[1] For many years the director of the National Library was Florence Ayivi Foliaon.^[3]

By 2014, the library did not have a fire emergency system in place, no internet network, and the place had not been visited by the country's Minister of culture for 20 years.^[4]

Description

The purpose of the National library of Benin is to collect, organize, preserve, and make accessible the documentary patrimony of the country.^[4] The library is composed of three units.^[4] Since opening, it holds a collection of 10,000 ancient documents on Dahomey and Africa in general. 4 copies of all books produced in the country must be deposited at the National Library (3 for books printed less than 300 times^[5]).^[2] The French Institute in Benin donates 3-year-old magazines and newspapers to the library.^[6]

See also

• National Archives of Benin