National Library of Ariddia
The National Library of Ariddia is a complex of several buildings located in Rêvane, Ariddia, which houses hundreds of thousands of books, including a great number of foreign books and original books and documents from all periods of Ariddia's colonial and post-colonial history (late 17th century onwards).
Among the Library's most precious books are two original manuscripts by early 18th century Ariddian linguist and explorer Yves Noël: A Trek Into The Wild: A Study of South Pacific Natives and of Their Language in the Ariddian Isles, Including Illuminating Conversations With the Savages (1709) and Letters To And From An Untamed Savage Of the South Seas (1755; co-author: Ili). The Library also has the original manuscripts of two of the works of Annabelle Laurier: Nuit Noire (1859) and Les Forêts de l'Âme (1863).
The Library has annexes in other parts of the country, notably in Cité-Belle.
Access is free to all, making the Library a valued ressource for scholars and students. It is also considered a symbol of Ariddia's commitment to education, and the book-shaped building (the main part of the Library) is a (minor) icon of Rêvane (alongside the more internationally famous buildings of Progress Tower or Harmonia).
The BNA (as it is usually known; acronym of Bibliothèque Nationale de l'Ariddia) maintains a website (chaudron.edu.ari) entitled (in English) "Free Online National Library of Ariddia" ("Le Chaudron"). The full texts of virtually all books that have ever been published in Ariddia are available to read and/or download for free from this website - including the most recent books, and books whose authors are still alive. This is because Ariddia's economy is moneyless, and writers therefore do not to earn money from their work. The texts are nonetheless protected by copyright against use for commercial reasons, uncredited use of any kind, etc...
The BNA also has copies of numerous books (in physical, paper form) available for sale to foreigners via the Chaudron website. All proceeds of any such sale go straight to the Ariddian national Treasury.
Links
- http://bna.edu.ari: official website
- http://chaudron.edu.ari/en/home: Le Chaudron in English (bna.edu.ari/chaudron redirects here): free access to digital versions of countless books
- http://chaudron.edu.ari/en/online_shop/home: Le Chaudron's online bookshop: order Ariddian books online
