The National Library of Somalia is, as its name suggests, the national library

National library

A national library is a library specifically established by the government of a country to serve as the preeminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books...

 of Somalia

Somalia

Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...

. Established in 1975, it is located in Mogadishu

Mogadishu

Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....

. It came under the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture and Higher Education until the collapse of the government

Anarchy in Somalia

Somalia, from 1991 to 2006, is cited as a real-world example of a stateless society and legal system. Since the fall of Siad Barre's government in January 1991, there had been no permanent national government in Somalia until the current Transitional Federal Government...

 in 1991.

In 1983, it held approximately 7,000 books, little in the way of historical and cultural archival material, and was open to the general public. It was described in a UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

report as having "no regular acquisition budget", unqualified staff, unsuitable premises, and as being, on the whole, "little developed".