{"id":602,"date":"2026-04-02T09:58:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T09:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/national-library.local\/?page_id=602"},"modified":"2026-05-13T08:25:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T08:25:55","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.natlib.lk\/NLSL\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About us"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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About us<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHomepage<\/a> > About us\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Over One Million<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Books<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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About Us<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The National Library <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The National Library of Sri Lanka functions primarily as a research and reference library and serves as the country\u2019s library of last resort. Its mission is to provide access to library resources and information for all Sri Lankans through the National Library itself, as well as through library networks, information centres, and resource centres across the country<\/p>

Collection development has been ongoing since the 1970s, with materials acquired through purchases, legal deposit, gifts and donations, and local and international exchange programmes. In 1976, the National Library was granted Legal Deposit status under the Printers and Publishers Act, requiring a copy of every publication produced in Sri Lanka to be deposited with the National Library.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Readers are encouraged to visit the National Library of Sri Lanka to explore its rich collections and make full use of the services. Staff are always ready to assist you in your journey of learning and discovery. The National Library of Sri Lanka, located at No. 14, Independence Avenue, Colombo 07, was officially declared open on 27 April 1990 by the former President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, His Excellency R. Premadasa.<\/p>

The architectural design of the building was developed by Professor Michael Brawne, a UNESCO consultant, with particular emphasis on safeguarding Sri Lanka\u2019s documentary heritage under tropical environmental conditions. The design reflects internationally recognized principles of library planning while responding sensitively to the country\u2019s climatic and cultural context.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Innovation in Education, Excellence in Every Endeavor<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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About us Homepage > About us Over One Million Books About Us The National Library The National Library of Sri Lanka functions primarily as a research and reference library and serves as the country\u2019s library of last resort. Its mission is to provide access to library resources and information for all Sri Lankans through the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-602","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nAbout us -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.natlib.lk\/NLSL\/about-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"About us -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"About us Homepage > About us Over One Million Books About Us The National Library The National Library of Sri Lanka functions primarily as a research and reference library and serves as the country\u2019s library of last resort. 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