Bibliothèque Nationale de France, << `beeb` lee oh TEHK nah syoh NAL duh frahns, >> is the national library of the French people and one of the largest libraries in Europe. Collections in the Bibliothèque include millions of printed volumes, engravings, and photographs; hundreds of thousands of magazines, manuscripts, and maps; and films, videos, coins, and cameos. In the 1990’s, the Bibliothèque began digitizing some of the items in its collections for online use.
Many of the manuscripts in the Bibliothèque were once in the Royal Library of King Charles V (Louvre library), which was begun in the 1300’s by Charles. Other items belonged to the library of the royal Valois family, in Blois. In the 1500’s, King Francis I united the library from Blois with his own library in Fontainebleau. Charles IX brought the library to Paris.
