The arrival of these large collections made it necessary to move to larger premises, and the choice fell on the Convento de São Francisco.

Over the more than 130 years in which it operated in the Chiado area of Lisbon, the BNL experienced periods of modernisation and enrichment and times of greyness and lethargy.

Work began in 1958, to a design by the architect Porfírio Pardal Monteiro, and the Library was transferred to the new building in the Campo Grande area in 1969.

Of particular significance was the creation of an Archive of Writers’ Personal Papers, but a number of major initiatives were also undertaken with regard to the standardisation of library and information techniques, preservation and conservation, and cultural activities.

Under this definition, which is set out in the Organic Law governing the BNP, the Library continues to pursue the essence of the fundamental purposes and objectives for which it was created in 1796, but is also responsible for the provision of a more varied range of services to both Portuguese culture and the public in general – among other ways, via the Online Catalogue of our collections and the Digital National Library – and the professionals in the publishing and information and documentation sectors.

In this respect it has also undertaken a variety of actions that help to promote the professional development of libraries, in conjunction with its role as the body with responsibility for national standards concerning documentation and information in Portugal.

It is also charged with studying and publicising the latter in Portugal and abroad, which is accomplished by means of a range of projects involving inter-institutional cooperation, exhibitions, research activities and publications.

The various collections that we generically term "Rare books and manuscripts" encompass the most valuable and important heritage assets in the BNP's holdings.

The Archive of Contemporary Portuguese Culture (ACPC) is currently home to the collections of personal papers of 148 writers and other figures from the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Cartography collection holds around 6,800 titles composed of both printed and manuscript atlases, maps and plans that have been made and/or published since the 16th century.

Although the collection includes cartographic representations of every part of the world, the majority of the items portray Portugal and its former overseas domains.