The Biblioteca Nacional on Avenida Rio Branco is the largest library in Latin America, with a collection of over 9 million items including manuscripts, rare books, maps, prints, photographs, and music scores. The neo-classical building, completed in 1910, is part of the grand cultural complex that makes Rio Branco one of South America's most impressive urban boulevards, alongside the Teatro Municipal and the National Museum of Fine Arts.
Guided tours run daily and take in the reading rooms, the manuscript vault, and rotating exhibitions from the permanent collection. The main reading room — a domed hall of polished stone and carved wood — is worth the visit alone. Free exhibitions are held in the ground-floor galleries. Entry to the general public areas is free; the rare books collections require an appointment.