History
The library was founded in 1914 during the Japanese colonial period as the Imperial Taiwan Library (Kyūjitai; 臺灣總督府圖書館; Shinjitai: 台湾総督府図書館, Taiwan Sōtokufu Toshokan?) on the order of governor Sakuma Samata. The library's first permanent home on Bo'ai Road (博愛路) in Taipei was destroyed in a United States bombing raid during World War II.
After the Nationalists took over control of the island following Japan's defeat in World War II, the library was renamed the Taiwan Provincial Library (Chinese: 臺灣省圖書館; pinyin: Táiwān-Shěng Túshūguǎn) and moved to temporary accommodation. The implication of this name, as well as all the subsequent names, is that Taiwan is only one part of the Republic of China.
In 1947, it was again renamed, this time to Taiwan Provincial Taipei Library (Chinese: 臺灣省立臺北圖書館; pinyin: Táiwān Shěnglì Táiběi Túshūguǎn) and it was under this name that the library was relocated to Xinsheng South Road (新生南路) in 1963.
The current name of the library was chosen in 1973, with the full official title being National Central Library, Taiwan Branch (Chinese: 國立中央圖書館臺灣分館; pinyin: Guólì Zhōngyāng Túshūguǎn Táiwān Fēnguǎn). After outgrowing the premises in Taipei city, the library was relocated to the 8-23 Memorial Park in Zhonghe, Taipei County (now New Taipei City) in 2004.
In 2007, Huang Wen-ling was appointed as the twentieth director of the National Taiwan Library, and the first woman to hold the post.
Read more about this topic: National Taiwan Library
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