The National Library of Mali (French: Bibliothèque nationale du Mali) is a public library located in Bamako, Mali. Bamako, population about 1 500,000 (2004), is the capital of Mali. ...

The National Library was first created by the Institut français d’Afrique noire, an arm of the French colonial government, in 1944. Following Mali's 1960 independence, this library became the Government Library; it would later be renamed again as the National Library of Mali. In 1968 the library was transferred from its initial home in Koulouba to Ouolofobougou, a section of Bamako. 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ...

A 1984 law defined the library's mission as:

• Acquiring, conserving, and diffusing of all current scholarship concerning all areas of human endeavor;
• Contributing, in its role as a depository of the national literature, to knowledge, preservation, and use of Malian cultural values;
• Participating with all organizations and public and private associations for the promotion of books in Mali.

The library holds more than 60,000 works, including books, periodicals, audio documents, videos, and software. These materials are available free to the public, though a small subscription fee is required for borrowing privileges. The library also hosts some of the exhibits for African Photography Encounters, a biannual Bamako photography festival. African Photography Encounters (French: Rencontres africaines de la photographie) is a biannual exhibition in Bamako, Mali since 1994. ...

References

• This article began as a translation of the corresponding article in the French Wikipedia, accessed 26 December 2005.

December 26 is the 360th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 361st in leap years. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Bibliothèque Nationale du Mali (French language)