A short history of FAO Library

The story of the library of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations starts with its predecessor, the library of the International Institute of Agriculture (IIA). The IIA was founded in 1908 and was the first ever international organization dedicated to agriculture. David Lubin (1849-1919) was its ideator and dedicated his live to creating the IIA "for the protection of the common interest of the farmers and for the betterment of their condition". 

When FAO was founded in 1945, the IIA was disbanded and its mission and assets were entrusted to the Organization, including its library of 400,000 volumes. In 1952, one year after FAO moved its permanent headquarters to Rome, the library opened its doors and was officially named the David Lubin Memorial Library “in recognition of the foresight, leadership, and outstanding contribution of David Lubin to international co-operation in the field of agriculture" (FAO Conference, 1950).

Today the library provides access to the most current online research, as well as 1.5 million physical volumes, including 32 incunables and one manuscript.