The National Library of France ranks seventh among the largest libraries in the world, which is quite an impressive indicator. This institution is special: in its ancient mansion and folio towers, it houses over 14 million books, employs more than 2,700 staff, and the annual number of readers exceeds 1.3 million. The library carefully preserves history but also actively implements modern technologies: with the advent of text scanning technology, the most sought-after collections have been digitized and made available online. Additionally, the library participates in the development of speech recognition and machine translation methods, making knowledge more accessible.

Founded in the 14th century by Charles V the Wise, the National Library of France is one of the oldest in Europe. Charles V allowed scholars to work with manuscripts for the benefit of the kingdom; however, the monarch's courtiers did not always return borrowed books, and the collection nearly disappeared. During the revolution, the library was nationalized and supplemented with collections from Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Sorbonne, and other institutions, as well as private collections.

By 1854, the library had expanded so much that the 17th-century architectural ensemble had to be enlarged. The most valuable copies are still housed in the historic building on Richelieu Street, which features a solemn appearance, a grand courtyard, a huge staircase, and spacious halls. The remaining books were moved to a new complex on the left bank of the Seine, designed by Dominique Perrault: four tall towers shaped like open books became one of the bright monuments of the François Mitterrand era.

The collections of the National Library of France number around 30 million storage units, including not only books and printed editions but also manuscripts, medals, drawings, engravings, and much more. The library's Russian collection includes rarities such as a 1684 account by Nikolai Spafariy of his journey to China as part of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich's embassy, editions by Alexander Sumarokov and Mikhail Lomonosov from the 18th century, and futuristic collections from the early 20th century, "The Judges' Garden" and "A Slap in the Face of Public Opinion." In total, the Russian fund contains about 150,000 storage units.