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Largest libraries in the United States as of October 2012, by number of volumes held

Largest libraries in the United States as of October 2012, by number of volumes held (in millions)

The data displays the biggest libraries in the U.S. as of October 2012, by number of volumes held. Harvard University was the third biggest library in the United States with approx. 16.83 million volumes.

* Definition of volume: Academic libraries: A single unit of any printed, typewritten, handwritten, mimeographed, or processed work, distinguished from other units by a separate binding, encasement, portfolio, or other clear distinction, which has been cataloged, classified, and made ready for use, and which is typically the unit used to charge circulation transactions.

Library of Congress	34.53
Boston Public Library (Branches + Research Collections)	19.09
Harvard University	16.83
New York Public Library (Branches + Research Collections)	16.34
University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign	13.16
Yale University	12.79
University of California - Berkeley	11.55
Columbia University	11.19
University of Michigan	10.78
University of Texas - Austin	9.99
University of Chicago	9.84
University of California - Los Angeles	9.15
Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County	8.82
Indiana University	8.68
Stanford University	8.5
University of Wisconsin - Madison	8.42
Cornell University	8.17
Princeton University	7.23
University of Washington	7.2
University of Minnesota	7.11

Largest libraries in the United States as of October 2012, by number of volumes held

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