To be considered a library, there is no strict universal number, but common guidelines and opinions exist:
- The American Library Association (ALA) suggests a minimum of about 2,000 books for a small school library with roughly 100 students, translating to about 15-20 books per child as a baseline for a functional library. This aims to provide sufficient reading material for skill and interest development in children.
- For public or personal libraries, popular opinion often cites that around 1,000 books may be considered enough to call it a library, with 500 books giving at least a "library feel".
- Some experts argue that even a smaller collection, like 25 well-selected books, could qualify as a library if the collection is meaningful and focused, though this is less commonly accepted.
- Large public libraries often hold tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of items, but this scale exceeds the minimal criteria for a basic library.
In summary, for a minimal viable functional library, 1,000 to 2,000 books is a good target, with 500 books being the lower threshold to feel like a library, and smaller curated collections also having some merit. References:
- 2,000 books minimum for a small school library as per ALA recommendations.
- Popular benchmarks for personal or home libraries: 500 to 1,000 books.
- Public libraries are much larger but not a minimal standard.
