National Library of the Philippines

What National Library of the Philippines does

The National Library of the Philippines (NLP) is a government institution under the Republic of the Philippines, founded in 1887 and headquartered on T.M. Kalaw St., Ermita, Manila, with approximately 106 employees. It operates as the country's statutory national repository of printed and recorded cultural heritage, with a mandate to collect, preserve, and provide universal access to Philippine intellectual and cultural resources. The institution is the sole authorized Philippine issuer of ISBN, ISSN, and ISMN identifiers, operates the national legal deposit and copyright registration systems, and supervises public library development nationwide under R.A. 7743.

Its technology stack is anchored on the open-source KOHA Integrated Library System (koha.nlp.gov.ph) for cataloging and circulation, supplemented by a Digital Collections Platform, the Philippine e-Library (PH ELIB), the ASEAN Digital Library, and the NLP E-Resources Portal for digitized and subscription-based content. Products and services span 14+ distinct offerings across physical readers' services, digital resource access, identifier issuance (ISBN/ISSN/ISMN), Cataloging-in-Publication (CIP), copyright registration, legal deposit, and public library support. The NLP serves five primary segments — the general public and researchers, students and educators, government agencies, publishers and authors, and affiliated public libraries across provinces — with services provided free of charge. Engagement metrics indicate 1.3M+ cumulative users, 122,846+ year-to-date users, and 26,718 users in the last 30 days. Strategic partnerships include the ASEAN Digital Library, APLiN, IFLA, and PNU-LISAA. As a non-commercial state entity, the NLP operates under national government budget allocation rather than market revenue, and is not an investable target in the conventional PE/VC sense.

Name

National Library of the Philippines

Legal name

National Library of the Philippines

Website

https://web.nlp.gov.ph

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The National Library of the Philippines is a 1887-founded government institution in Manila that preserves Philippine cultural heritage, issues ISBN/ISSN/ISMN identifiers, and provides free digital and physical library services to citizens, researchers, students, publishers, and affiliated public libraries nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

National Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

National Archives, Records & Information Governance (BPAIAAAG), Special Libraries (Law, Medical, Corporate, Government) Operations (EDAEAGAD)

Keywords

• National library services
• Digital library collections
• ISBN ISSN services
• Legal deposit services
• Public library development

Headquarters

HQ city

Manila

HQ country

Philippines

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The National Library of the Philippines is the statutory national repository of the country's printed and recorded cultural heritage, providing free universal access to its physical and digital collections. It issues international standard identifiers (ISBN, ISSN, ISMN) for Philippine publishers, offers Cataloging-in-Publication, copyright registration, and legal deposit services, and supports affiliated public libraries nationwide.

Product overview

The National Library of the Philippines operates as a comprehensive national library system offering multiple interconnected services: physical and digital library collections through its online catalog (KOHA), digital resource platforms (Philippine eLibrary, Digital Collections, ASEAN Digital Library, E-Resources Portal), publisher services (ISBN, ISSN, ISMN registration, Cataloging in Publication, Copyright/Legal Deposit), and public library development support. The library serves as the premier repository of Philippine cultural heritage and intellectual resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NLP Online Catalog (KOHA) An online public access catalog (OPAC) system enabling users to search and discover the library's collection of printed and recorded materials.
• Philippine eLibrary (PH ELIB) A digital library platform providing online access to Philippine intellectual and cultural heritage materials.
• Digital Collections Digitized versions of the library's rare and valuable collections available for online research and access.
• ASEAN Digital Library A regional digital library initiative enabling access to cultural heritage materials from ASEAN member states.
• NLP E-Resources Portal A portal providing access to the library's subscribed electronic databases and online research resources.
• ISBN Services International Standard Book Number registration and allocation services for publishers in the Philippines.
• ISSN Services International Standard Serial Number registration for continuing resources including journals and magazines.
• ISMN Services International Standard Music Number registration for music publications.
• CIP (Cataloging in Publication) A service that provides advance cataloging information for books before publication to facilitate bibliographic control.
• Copyright Services Legal deposit and copyright registration services for literary and artistic works.
• Legal Deposit Service ensuring preservation of Philippine published materials as mandated by law.
• Public Library Services Support and development services for affiliated public libraries across the Philippines.
• Guided Library Tour Educational tours of the National Library facilities for students and researchers.
• Readers' Services In-person reference assistance, manuscript access, and research support at the NLP headquarters.
• NLP Publications Official publications and research outputs produced by the National Library of the Philippines.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1.3 million total users accessing NLP services and digital collections
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered regional, minor and global.

• ASEAN Digital LibraryregionalTechnology or IntegrationCollaborative digital library initiative across ASEAN member states, providing shared access to cultural heritage materials from participating Southeast Asian nations including the Philippines
• Philippine Normal University - Library and Information Science Alumni (PNU-LISAA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association partnership for library science professionals, hosting collaborative events and professional development activities
• APLiN (ASEAN Public Library Network)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional network of ASEAN public libraries hosting collaborative events including the Seminar-Workshop on AI Applications in ASEAN Public Libraries and 1st General Assembly of APLiN
• IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions)globalStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal library association membership and participation in IFLA-RSCAO (IFLA Regional Standing Coalition for South Asia and Oceania) mid-year meetings and activities

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Library of Congress: The national library of the United States, performing identical statutory functions to the NLP: legal deposit, identifier issuance (ISBN/LCCN), national bibliography, and digital preservation of cultural heritage. Both operate as federally mandated national repositories.
• British Library: United Kingdom's national library and a UNESCO depository library, comparable to NLP in legal deposit mandate, extensive rare/herit

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nlpph

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Library of the Philippines