6 . N A T I O N A L
L I B R A R Y O F
S P A I N
PASEO DE RECOLETOS, 20-22
The National Library ( Biblioteca Nacional ) was
founded by King Philip V at the end of 1711
( known at this time as the Real Biblioteca or
Royal Library ), and opened its doors for the
first time in March of 1712 . It houses a copy of
every single book published in Spain , as well
as a valuable collection of incunables ,
manuscripts , prints , drawings , photographs ,
maps , sound recordings , scores , etc . It also has
additional premises in Alcalá de Henares .
The Biblioteca Nacional raises awareness
about the bibliographic heritage it houses
through its catalogue and the compilation of
the Spanish Bibliography . It also offers public
services including consultation rooms and
remote services through its webpage , as well
as specialist bibliographic information
services and inter - library loans . In order to
consult these collections , you must have a
reader ' s or researchers ' card .
The Library has a free Museum and Exhibition
Rooms , so that members of the public can
find out more about the collections , the
history of the National Library and how it
operates .
The National Library also includes the National
Newspaper and Periodicals Library , which
thanks to the digitalization process started in
2007 , gives the public online access to
historical and modern Spanish newspapers
that are part of the National Library ’ s