TIRANA, December 10 – The National Library of Albania was founded 103 years ago, on December 10, 1922. At the time, it held 6,000 book titles, as work had begun nearly two years earlier, following its foundation on July 10, 1920.

The first director was linguist and journalist Karl Gurakuqi. He led the country’s first public, state, and secular library. During the Albanian Kingdom, between 1928 and 1937, the library’s activity stood out under the leadership of Sotir Kole.

By the end of World War Two, the library’s collection reached 15,000 volumes. By late 1947, it had grown to around 100,000 volumes.

Metani noted that the 1948 decree on the mandatory submission of publications to the National Library significantly enriched its collection. The decree required publishers to provide free copies of all works, enabling the library to perform its archival role.

He added that after the fall of the dictatorship, the library removed barriers to accessing information and allowed broader use of various literature categories.

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