Reference Library

The International Youth Library is the world’s largest reference library for international children’s and youth literature. It collects children’s and young adult books from across the globe.

Due to its one of a kind collector profile, the Library possesses unique holdings from many countries and epochs that cannot be found in any other libraries. The literary quality and originality of the works form the core criteria for inclusion in the collection, along with their ability to inspire new directions in the development of children’s and youth literature in their countries of origin.


The International Youth Library offers a collection of about 675,000 children's and youth books in more than 250 languages from six centuries. This includes about 69,000 books published from the 16th century to 1950.