Bibliothèque Nationale d'Algérie (BNA)

Overview

The Bibliothèque Nationale d'Algérie (BNA) is Algeria's largest public library and its oldest cultural institution, located in the El Hamma district of Algiers, with a second site at Boulevard Frantz Fanon.

History

The library was founded in 1835 by Adrien Berbrugger, by decision of the Minister of War. Over more than a century it moved several times: from an initial domanial house, it transferred in 1838 to the Caserne des Janissaires near Algiers' Bab-Azoun gate as collections grew, then in 1848 to a private Moorish-style house that proved unsuitable for its functions, and in 1863 to the former residence of the Dey of Algeria, Mustapha Pacha, in the heart of the Casbah. Plans for a modern building, first proposed around 1847-1849, were finally adopted in 1954, and on May 12, 1958, the library moved into a purpose-built building on the Tagarins hill overlooking the Bay of Algiers, on Boulevard Frantz Fanon; this site also sheltered the heritage collections of the University Library of Algiers after a fire there and remains a BNA annex today. Construction of a new main building began in the early 1980s, was inaugurated November 1, 1994, and opened fully to the public on April 16, 1998.

Collections, Holdings, and Publications

The BNA's collections include manuscripts, books, newspapers and periodicals, maps and atlases, academic and society publications, official publications, musical documents, literary funds, audio documents, and authors' archives, including rare eleventh- and twelfth-century manuscripts. Its current main building occupies a 67,000-square-meter site with a total building area of 63,257 square meters across 13 levels, six of which are dedicated to storage of more than 10 million volumes across 170 linear kilometers of shelving. The library manages Algeria's legal deposit system under ordinance 16-96 of July 2, 1996, and in 2023 launched Fahrassa, a digital platform to support publishers with administrative and legal-deposit processes; in January 2025 it launched a digital portal dedicated to manuscripts and rare works.

Access and Usage

The library is open to the public Saturday through Thursday from 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM, and Friday from 3:00 PM to 8:30 PM, with four reading rooms holding a combined capacity of 450 seats. Through branch offices across the country, the BNA also works to promote public reading and book culture nationwide.