Shanghai Library

At 24 stories and 348 feet (106 m) tall, the library's main building is the second tallest library in the world, after the National Library of Indonesia in Jakarta.

History

Shanghai Library was originally founded in 1952 by the Shanghai Military Management Committee of the People's Liberation Army.

After being transferred to Shanghai civil government management, in 1958, Shanghai Library merged with Shanghai City Science and Technology Library (上海市科学技术图书馆, formerly Mingfu Library, 明复图书馆), Shanghai City Newspaper Library (上海市报刊图书馆, formerly Hongying Library, 鸿英图书馆), and Shanghai City Historical Documents Library (上海市历史文献图书馆, formerly United Library, 合众图书馆), to become the second largest public library in the country after the National Library of China.

In November 1958, the Shanghai Institute of Scientific and Technical Information, a municipal public institution, was established. In October 1995, Shanghai Library merged with the Shanghai Institute of Scientific and Technical Information to become a research-oriented public library and a comprehensive information research center.

Shanghai Library East, a branch of the main library located in Pudong, opened in 2022. The architectural firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen was selected to construct the building in consultation with local artists, who designed it with abstract reference to the taihu stones used for inspiration by Jin dynasty scholars. The building won several local and national awards, and was among the winners of the 2026 RIBA International Award for Excellence. The East branch departs from the main building by having an open plan that makes the majority of its space available for the local community to use, while still containing 4.8 million books.