Public libraries are very popular, especially among young people. Some 60 percent of under-16s belong to a library, membership being free for this age group. Public libraries own an estimated total of more than 44.5 million books. Most municipalities have their own public library, totalling some 1,200 in all.
The Koninklijke Bibliotheek (Royal Library) in The Hague, which was founded in 1798, is the national library of the Netherlands. It is a research library, containing over 3 million volumes. The university libraries of Leiden (founded in 1575), Groningen (1614) and Utrecht (1636) are the oldest research libraries in the country.
