The British Council Library is the most famous library in the world. It has lots of smaller branches that scatter across various countries, both developed and developing countries. India is not an exception, and the British Council Library has indeed set up its branch in this lovely city.

Why is the British Council Library referred to as one of the best libraries in Bangalore? There are several reasons you should keep in mind. First of all, the library boasts a lot of books. At the time of this writing, it already delivers more than 16,000 books, both digital and physical ones. There are lots of titles to choose from, ensuring you can always find something that suits your taste!

The number of literary genres is also impressive. It has everything here, ranging from Short Stories, Poetry, Horror, Historical, Crime, Classic, Fiction, E-Magazines, Films, and Nonfiction to even online training. With a membership card, you may additionally get 200MB of reading data every day!

Ratings: 4.6 stars (from 589 reviews)

Address: Kasturba Road Cross, KA 560001

Timing: 9 a.m - 6 p.m, Monday to Saturday

The Indian Institute of World Culture is not just a simple and ordinary library. More than that, it is the pride of India and Bangalore! Indeed, many people have referred to it as a cultural landmark. Despite many decades having passed, Indians (and Bangalore bookworms) still hold lots of love, admiration, and respect for this library.

The Indian Institute of World Culture was founded in 1945. As the name suggests, this place was built to promote Indian culture to the world while also bringing the best knowledge from other countries to India. At the time of this writing, this beautiful library already has an impressive collection of more than 40,000 books. There are also around 400 periodicals in languages such as Kannada, English, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Sanskrit, French, and German. Even better, this library has several rare scripts and books dating back more than 400 years.

Last but not least, the library is divided into three major sections: periodicals, children, and the main department. Hence, it is easy for people with different demands and preferences to find a sector suited to what they need!

Ratings: 4.4 stars (from 555 reviews)

Address: Wadia Road, Basavanagudi

Timing: 9 a.m - 7.30 p.m (Tuesday to Sunday)

The City Central Library is a familiar place for many Bangalore youngsters who love reading books. Even middle-aged and elderly customers can drop into this library for a good reading session as well. It is also one of the most beautifully-designed libraries on our list. Ever since its launch, the City Central Library has always impressed even the most indifferent passerby with its impressive layout and bright-red brick walls.

Its beautiful visual is not the only stunning thing about the City Central Library. The vast collection of books is also something to be admired; that is the primary reason why this library is one of the city's most prominent monuments. To be more specific, there are more than 50,000 titles in the library, suited to all ages and preferences. There is also an open space and a small park for reading.

And that is not even the end; they also offer an extensive selection of literature in regional languages, including Kannada bestsellers and academic texts, Telugu, Hindi, and Tamil. The library has more than 30,000 distinct sectors, so you can wander in it all day without getting bored!

Ratings: 4. 1 stars (from 540 reviews)

Address: Opposite Vivek Showroom, KA 560011

Timing: 10:30 a.m - 5 p.m (Monday), 8.30 a.m - 8 p.m (Tuesday to Sunday)

My Hangout Library deserves to be lauded as one of the best libraries in Bangalore. Ever since its launch, the library has received lots of love and praise from Bangalore's devoted readers. So what is My Hangout Library? It is a multifunctional area, which serves as a communal reading space, book library, and activity center at the same time. The library is located in Bellandur, a culture-rich and friendly area.

My Hangout Library sets itself apart with a convenient delivery service, which will deliver the books to your home at any time you want! You do not have to visit its physical branch all the time. Secondly, the library boasts over 10,000 books for children, teens, and adults, which are neatly packed in a 1,500-square-foot facility.

Last but not least, the library is comfortable with bean bag seats and couch chairs. It also offers extra activities and programs for participants, such as writing, storytelling, art/craft, Rubik's cube, phonics, etc., geared at people of all ages.

Ratings: 4.2 stars (from 502 reviews)

Address: Bellandur, Green Glen Layout

Timing: 10 a.m - 8 p.m, Tuesday to Friday

The Muslim library was founded in May 1912 by a team of Muslim intellectuals. They all saw the need for a public place for intellectual learning. According to them, everyone's reading experience should be free of retrograde beliefs and political constriction. The Muslim library is located in the small and packed bylanes of Shivajinagar. The library, which contains rare and significant Urdu and Persian manuscripts, is a treasure mine of heritage and great works of literature.

During the past decades, the Muslim library has been visited and mentioned by lots of illustrious figures such as Muhammad Iqbal (1929), author Syed Sulaiman (1925), Seemab Akbarabadi, the poet Josh Malihabadi, and the poet Jigar Moradabadi (all in 1942), and Baba-e-Urdu Maulvi Haq, chief editor of the Urdu journal Shair (1937).

The library is typically supported by its patrons and trustees. The current manager of the library, Ayub A. Khan, states, "We do not like to take government monies or donations from any political organizations, since such funding would undermine our purpose."

Ratings: 4.3 stars (from 320 reviews)

Address: Ambedkar Veedhi Gandhi Nagar

Timing: 8 a.m - 11 a.m, 6 p.m - 9 p.m (except holidays)

Any people coming from previous generations will find themselves smiling upon remembering the glorious days of the Eloor Lending Library. During the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, this library resided in much smaller cities than Bangalore, such as Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. It was frequented by public workers, physicians, police inspectors, film stars, scriptwriters, and college students.

Back then, the books were and (still are) meticulously wrapped in plastic sheets for protection. Members may rent them for 10% of the book's price, with a refundable deposit. Gradually, the Eloor’s branches were established across India, including Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, and Delhi, in 2006. It is not an exaggeration to claim that Eloor used to be one of the top-notch private loan libraries in India.

Its slight dip in popularity started around the 2000s - corresponded with the advent of e-readers, online databases and online booksellers. Not to mention, children nowadays tend to prefer cell devices over books. Nevertheless, Eloor Lending Library, with superb services and book collections, still deserves an honorable place on this list.

Ratings: 3.9 stars (from 200 reviews)

Address: Shivaji Nagar, Infantry Road

Timing: 10 a.m - 7 p.m

JustBooks is actually a local brand in India, which means that this library does not only reside in Bangalore. To be more specific, ever since its launch, JustBooks has expanded its network all over the country and even reached the United States, one of the leading countries in the world in terms of reading resources. At the time of this writing, JustBooks has generated around 300 branches in 13 cities in the United States and received lots of praise from the American citizens.

Thankfully, you do not have to be an American in order to read high-quality books. Being in Bangalore is more than enough to gain you access to lots of reading resources! The JustBooks branch in Bangalore offers book enthusiasts a unique browsing experience with a large selection of books in every genre. They provide access to over 70,000 books via membership! Depending on the membership plan you choose, you may borrow from two to ten books at a time.

Ratings: 4.2 stars (from 150 reviews)

Address: 972/1, 2nd Stage, Banashankari

Timing: 10 a.m - 9 p.m