best fictional library/archive tournament

What it says on the tin. Come bring your favourite fictional libraries and archives!

[fictional-library-tournament]

Polls masterlists

Prelims round 1

Four polls a day, each open for a day. This post will provide links to them and also give their status. If I've got my timings right, the last of these should end midnight GMT on the 9th December.

Poll 1 completed!

Winner: Junior Woodchucks Guidebook, Guardians of the Lost Library by Don Rosa

Poll 2 completed!

Winner: Endless Athenaeum, Critical Role – Campaign 1: Vox Machina

Poll 3 completed!

Winner: Noumenon, Final Fantasy XIV

Poll 4 completed!

Winner: Kiersau Abbey Library, Pentiment

Poll 5 completed!

Winner: Neo-Gotham Public Library, Batman Beyond

Poll 6 completed!

Winner: Downing Hill Public Library, Hello from the Hallowoods by William A Wellman

Poll 7 completed!

Winner: Mrs Phelps' library, Matilda by Roald Dahl

Poll 8 completed!

Winner: Sazed's Copperminds, Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Poll 9 completed!

Winner: ART's archives, The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Poll 10 completed!

Winner: Bag End library, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

Poll 11 completed!

Winner: Sunai, The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Cando

Poll 12 completed!

Winner: Merlin's Library, The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne

Poll 13 completed!

Winner: The Scholomance Library, A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

Poll 14 completed!

Winner: The Thunderhead, Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Poll 15 completed!

Winner: The Black Archives, Doctor Who

Poll 16 completed!

Winner: Vault of Knowledge, Sky: Children of the Light

Poll 17 completed!

Winner: SCP-4001 "Alexandria Eternal", SCP Foundation

Poll 18 completed!

Winner: Death's library, The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

Poll 19 completed!

Winner: The Lines Between, Dimension 20: Neverafter

Poll 20 completed!

Winner: Justice Strauss' library, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Poll 21 completed!

Winners: The Library, Clue/Cluedo; The Incorruptible Republic of the Immortal Library of the Grand Architect (aka The Incorruptible Library), Girl Genius

[fictional-library-tournament]

Prelims round 2

Poll 1 completed!

Winner: Endless Athenaeum, Critical Role – Campaign 1: Vox Machina

Poll 2 completed!

Winner: Downing Hill Public Library, Hello from the Hallowoods by William A Wellman

Poll 3 completed!

Winner: ART's archives, The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Poll 4 completed!

Winner: Death's library, the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

Poll 5 completed!

Winner: The Lines Between, Dimension 20: Neverafter

[fictional-library-tournament]

wait, how did ivy alexandria get in /gen? that's. she's. technically an archivist/librarian not an archive/library???? unless im missing somehting kinda new to the fandom

So, I'm not in the fandom at all, and I didn't have time to research. But according to propaganda I received for her, she's a) both an archive and an archivist, and b) the library is stored both physically in the Starship Aurora and digitally in Ivy's brain. So I was uncertain at first, but I figured she counted enough.

I could be wrong, but I hope that answers your question!

[fictional-library-tournament]

Was the Library of the Dead submitted? From the Edinburgh Nights series by TLHuchu

Unfortunately not, sorry.

[fictional-library-tournament]

I really need to get on with making the new polls but until then, here's the bracket with the next round complete!

[fictional-library-tournament]

was hush house from book of hours ever considered?

The tournament runs on submissions, and it wasn't submitted, no.

[fictional-library-tournament]

Prelims round 2, poll 5

Which is the best fictional library/archive?

The Lines Between (Dimension 20: Neverafter)

The Library (Clue/Cluedo)

The Incorruptible Library (Girl Genius)

Voting ended onDec 14, 2023

Propaganda

The Lines Between, Dimension 20: Neverafter:

Contains all versions of every story ever written, told, or imagined - free existential horror with every checkout!

"You're nothing more than scratches of ink on someone else's piece of paper."

The Lines Between is a massive place between stories, and staffed by diverse and deific librarians who are just doing their best, such as Glossary, Key, Legend and Index. The library is physically made of books, scrolls, and parchment. Its areas include the Hall of Stories, the Canonade, the Tower of Tales, and perhaps most remarkably: a brilliant view of the Auroratory. It is a beautiful aurora borealis of voices, preserving auratory stories that aren't necessarily written down. It is possible to swim up and into the Auroratory

The Library, Clue/Cluedo:

Easily in the top 10 places to get mysteriously murdered.

The Incorruptible Republic of the Immortal Library of the Grand Architect (aka The Incorruptible Library), Girl Genius:

So it's an autonomous government under Paris, dedicated to protecting and giving access to books, who are willing to lend out any book to anybody. Their collection holds a lot of dangerous/important relics. The librarians are incredibly dedicated to their ideals and will fight to defend them. They are a powerful organisation and opposed to the main antagonist of the comic, who uses mind control ("to read what you want, you have to be free!"). They also have giant cats. The cats are giant and they protect the library and accompany librarians on detached missions. Enough said. Very cool library

It's a library hidden underneath Paris that basically serves as an independent country, because everyone knows better than to mess with them. They also serve as explorers and historians of the crypts and labyrinths that are underneath the city, and go on retrieval missions to collect rare books from dangerous places. There are also large cats that are protectors of the library, and all of the librarians are reasonable people who are both protective of their collection and supportive of general mad science shenanigans if they're for a good cause.

[fictional-library-tournament]

Prelims round 2, poll 4

Which is the best fictional library/archive?

Death's library (the Discworld series)

Justice Strauss' library (A Series of Unfortunate Events)

Voting ended onDec 13, 2023

Propaganda

Death's library, the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

Death’s library contains the life stories of every person, living or dead. They write themselves.

Justice Strauss' library, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket:

Library that saved an orphan from an arranged marriage, owned by a kind and well-meaning judge.

[fictional-library-tournament]

Prelims round 2, poll 3

Which is the best fictional library/archive?

Sazed's Copperminds (Mistborn)

ART's archives (The Murderbot Diaries)

Sunai (The Archive Undying)

Merlin's Library (The Magic Tree House series)

The Scholomance Library (A Deadly Education)

The Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe)

Voting ended onDec 13, 2023

Propaganda:

Sazed's Copperminds, Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson:

Copper bracers called copperminds that contain many, many forbidden books. They are accessible only to Sazed, a scholar specialising in religion and also a member of the Skaa rebellion.

‼️MAJOR SPOILERS‼️

At the end of the trilogy, the world is literally about the end, and Sazed becomes a god and uses the knowledge in his copperminds to fix/remake the world.

ART's archives, The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells:

"My onboard archives are extensive. Why haven't you sought access to them?" Of course a research vessel would brag about its research library. Why wouldn't it?

Sunai, The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Cando:

He contains a living AI god referred to as an Archive. He is a relic who can interface with other archives and falls in love with a cute boy when he normally runs away from all attempts at intimacy and keeps being like oh? I...like him?

Merlin's Library, The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne:

None

The Scholomance Library, A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik:

The library inside the Scholomance is so cool. It’s open to a void above, and is the safest place inside the entire school. The sections are mostly in the same place every time. But the shelves can stretch out and fill up with more books

The Thunderhead, Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman:

It contains the collective knowledge of humanity and is a perfect, almost-sapient AI that doesn’t follow the “utopia is actually dystopia” trope

[fictional-library-tournament]

Prelims round 2, poll 2

Which is the best fictional library/archive?

Downing Hill Public Library (Hello from the Hallowoods)

Mrs Phelps' library (Matilda)

Bag End library (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings)

The Black Archives (Doctor Who)

SCP-4001 "Alexandria Eternal" (SCP Foundation)

Voting ended onDec 12, 2023

Propaganda:

Downing Hill Public Library, Hello from the Hallowoods by William A Wellman:

It’s the largest collection of secret and occult texts on the planet and also a school teaching those of covenant blood (aka their ancestors made a pact with Indescribable gods) to become witches. Their motivations are shady and unknown, but they seem to believe all forbidden books should be under their control and have no qualms about working with some very evil individuals to gain those books. You can check out a spell book of dark magic pretty easily but if you don’t bring it back in time, they will send a horrible raven-amalgamation called the Omen after you.

Mrs Phelps' library, Matilda by Roald Dahl:

Matilda's safe place

Bag End library, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien:

Not the largest collection, but in possession of THE primary sources regarding the Fellowship of the Ring and the adventure to the Lonely Mountain, as well as several other historical texts and translations that may otherwise have been lost to time without the care and keeping of Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam.

The Black Archives, Doctor Who:

Contains so much alien stuff! And you have to have your memory wiped after every shift so I imagine it messes you up a bit

SCP-4001 "Alexandria Eternal", SCP Foundation

Its books contain the entire true events of all humans dead and alive, its space loops around on itself, the decoration fits the current times at all times, there are about 120 Billion books!

It's the place of all truths of this world but the lighting is shit.

[fictional-library-tournament]

Prelims round 1, poll 13

Which is the best fictional library/archive?

Great Library of Zosma (Strange the Dreamer)

Library of Alexandria (The Atlas series)

Cemetery of Forgotten Books (Cemetery of Forgotten Books series)

The Scholomance Library (A Deadly Education)

Alexandriaville Public Library (Mr Lemoncello's Library series)

Voting ended onDec 8, 2023

Propaganda

Great Library of Zosma, Strange the Dreamer by Lainie Taylor:

None

Library of Alexandria, The Atlas series:

This is a freaking half-sentient all knowing wise library that got bullied by one half-insane drunk and depressed empath into giving him the information it was specifically supposed to withhold

What a pathetic mess of a Library

Cemetery of Forgotten Books, Cemetery of Forgotten Books series by Carlos Ruiz Zafón:

None

The Scholomance Library, A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik:

The library inside the Scholomance is so cool. It’s open to a void above, and is the safest place inside the entire school. The sections are mostly in the same place every time. But the shelves can stretch out and fill up with more books

Alexandriaville Public Library, Mr Lemoncello's Library series by Chris Grabenstein:

A Wonka-esque (minus the deadly traps) library renovated by a genius game designer. The middle grade book series involves kids who must solve reading related puzzles that are hidden throughout the library, including in their personalized library cards. All stacks have special hover machines to find the perfect book and a holographic librarian to help out.

[eishtmo]

Since the Scholomance Library won this poll, I'll share my Minecraft recreation of it here.

The final image is uncapped. It's fully lit because of Minecraft monster spawning rules, the real one would be mostly dark.

I did math for this, which is to scale, and got an estimated book capacity of 117 million books. Google claims there's roughly 156 million books total. Take both numbers with a grain of salt.

[fictional-library-tournament]

Prelims round 2, poll 1

Which is the best fictional library/archive?

Junior Woodchucks Guidebook (Guardians of the Lost Library

Endless Athenaeum (Critical Role - Campaign 1: Vox Machina)

Noumenon (Final Fantasy XIV)

Kiersau Abbey Library (Pentiment)

Neo-Gotham Public Library (Batman Beyond)

Vault of Knowledge (Sky: Children of the Light)

Voting ended onDec 12, 2023

Propaganda

Junior Woodchucks Guidebook, Guardians of the Lost Library by Don Rosa:

"The Junior Woodchucks Guidebook?", you no doubt ask. "Isn't that just a book? A single book does not a library make?" And yes, it is just a book - and at the same time, no, it absolutely is a library. The library, actually. This tiny book is the actual, literal lost library of Alexandria, and contains all its lost wisdom and lore (except, sadly, the plays and poetry) preserved and expanded through the ages as various keepers cared for the library, preserved it by constantly transcribing and transferring it into the newest media and adding more and more content along the way - for instance, Marco Polo added all the books he brought back from China - until eventually, the library came to Duckburg, where it was collected in one single, huge volume - which a bit later became the very first "Junior Woodchucks Guidebook" - with some added modern knowledge and an entire organization dedicated to it's continued safekeeping. So, yeah - Junior Woodchucks Guidebook = Library of Alexandria + more

Endless Athenaeum, Critical Role – Campaign 1: Vox Machina:

The endless library of Ioun, the amazing goddess of knowledge from Critical Role!

Noumenon, Final Fantasy XIV:

This multi storied library is FFXIV equivalent of the Library of Alexandria. Organised by mini robots called mammets, largest repository of written works in all of Hydaelyn and has its own restricted section that would make many people's toes curl from what lay inside.

Kiersau Abbey Library, Pentiment:

You know how libraries these days are places for more than just books? This was one of these 500 years before it was cool. Here you can find old heretical texts, hot nun goss, secret passages, gay sex, delicious symbolism that represents the crumbling of an oppressive religious institution and increased education for the masses... what more could you ask for?

Neo-Gotham Public Library, Batman Beyond:

Mad Stan thinks libraries are just contributing to information overload, and the constant stream of All The Things is hurting people. Terry argues that it's not the information itself that's harmful, but rather the way of processing it, and that's the thing that needs to be addressed - not blowing up all the libraries.

Vault of Knowledge, Sky: Children of the Light:

It's ancient. It's magical. Its employees are all ghosts. There's so much information here and all translations have been lost

[fictional-library-tournament]

I have scheduled the second round of the prelims!

There's five polls. Two a day, starting at midnight GMT tonight (so about 2.5hrs). The last one will start at midnight on Tuesday and finish midnight Wednesday. They last a day each.

Enjoy!

[fictional-library-tournament]

Polls masterlists

Prelims round 1

Four polls a day, each open for a day. This post will provide links to them and also give their status. If I've got my timings right, the last of these should end midnight GMT on the 9th December.

Poll 1 completed!

Winner: Junior Woodchucks Guidebook, Guardians of the Lost Library by Don Rosa

Poll 2 completed!

Winner: Endless Athenaeum, Critical Role – Campaign 1: Vox Machina

Poll 3 completed!

Winner: Noumenon, Final Fantasy XIV

Poll 4 completed!

Winner: Kiersau Abbey Library, Pentiment

Poll 5 completed!

Winner: Neo-Gotham Public Library, Batman Beyond

Poll 6 completed!

Winner: Downing Hill Public Library, Hello from the Hallowoods by William A Wellman

Poll 7 completed!

Winner: Mrs Phelps' library, Matilda by Roald Dahl

Poll 8 completed!

Winner: Sazed's Copperminds, Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Poll 9 completed!

Winner: ART's archives, The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Poll 10 completed!

Winner: Bag End library, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

Poll 11 completed!

Winner: Sunai, The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Cando

Poll 12 completed!

Winner: Merlin's Library, The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne

Poll 13 completed!

Winner: The Scholomance Library, A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

Poll 14 completed!

Winner: The Thunderhead, Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Poll 15 completed!

Winner: The Black Archives, Doctor Who

Poll 16 completed!

Winner: Vault of Knowledge, Sky: Children of the Light

Poll 17 completed!

Winner: SCP-4001 "Alexandria Eternal", SCP Foundation

Poll 18 completed!

Winner: Death's library, The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

Poll 19 completed!

Winner: The Lines Between, Dimension 20: Neverafter

Poll 20 completed!

Winner: Justice Strauss' library, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Poll 21 completed!

Winners: The Library, Clue/Cluedo; The Incorruptible Republic of the Immortal Library of the Grand Architect (aka The Incorruptible Library), Girl Genius

[fictional-library-tournament]

Aaand round 1 of the prelims is complete! Onto round 2 soon...

[fictional-library-tournament]

Even ignoring the tie, poll 21 was so close.

Both winners are going through to the second round of the prelims. A tie in any round after this will have to go to a tie-breaker, but I'm going to move both of these on, I think. Might as well.

Now I gotta start organising the next round of the prelims...

[fictional-library-tournament]

Prelims round 1, poll 21

Which is the best fictional library/archive?

The Library (Clue/Cluedo)

Magical Library (Smile PreCure!)

The City of Books (Umineko When They Cry)

The Incorruptible Library (Girl Genius)

Voting ended onDec 10, 2023

Propaganda

The Library, Clue/Cluedo:

Easily in the top 10 places to get mysteriously murdered.

Magical Library (aka The Library of Legends), Smile PreCure! (aka Glitter Force):

when I was a kid I used to push my books about on the shelf to try and get it. tree library. I want to live there

The City of Books, Umineko When They Cry:

Each book contains a different world inside of it and is practically endless

The Incorruptible Republic of the Immortal Library of the Grand Architect (aka The Incorruptible Library), Girl Genius:

So it's an autonomous government under Paris, dedicated to protecting and giving access to books, who are willing to lend out any book to anybody. Their collection holds a lot of dangerous/important relics. The librarians are incredibly dedicated to their ideals and will fight to defend them. They are a powerful organisation and opposed to the main antagonist of the comic, who uses mind control ("to read what you want, you have to be free!"). They also have giant cats. The cats are giant and they protect the library and accompany librarians on detached missions. Enough said. Very cool library

It's a library hidden underneath Paris that basically serves as an independent country, because everyone knows better than to mess with them. They also serve as explorers and historians of the crypts and labyrinths that are underneath the city, and go on retrieval missions to collect rare books from dangerous places. There are also large cats that are protectors of the library, and all of the librarians are reasonable people who are both protective of their collection and supportive of general mad science shenanigans if they're for a good cause.

[fictional-library-tournament]

Have you also considered the Jedi archives from Star Wars?

Yep! Although they're submissions, not my thoughts. It made it through automatically iirc.

Repost of the next round onwards bracket so far (? for prelim-based entries):

[fictional-library-tournament]

Polls masterlists

Prelims round 1

Four polls a day, each open for a day. This post will provide links to them and also give their status. If I've got my timings right, the last of these should end midnight GMT on the 9th December.

Poll 1 completed!

Winner: Junior Woodchucks Guidebook, Guardians of the Lost Library by Don Rosa

Poll 2 completed!

Winner: Endless Athenaeum, Critical Role – Campaign 1: Vox Machina

Poll 3 completed!

Winner: Noumenon, Final Fantasy XIV

Poll 4 completed!

Winner: Kiersau Abbey Library, Pentiment

Poll 5 completed!

Winner: Neo-Gotham Public Library, Batman Beyond

Poll 6 completed!

Winner: Downing Hill Public Library, Hello from the Hallowoods by William A Wellman

Poll 7 completed!

Winner: Mrs Phelps' library, Matilda by Roald Dahl

Poll 8 completed!

Winner: Sazed's Copperminds, Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Poll 9 completed!

Winner: ART's archives, The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Poll 10 completed!

Winner: Bag End library, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

Poll 11 completed!

Winner: Sunai, The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Cando

Poll 12 completed!

Winner: Merlin's Library, The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne

Poll 13 completed!

Winner: The Scholomance Library, A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

Poll 14 completed!

Winner: The Thunderhead, Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Poll 15 completed!

Winner: The Black Archives, Doctor Who

Poll 16 completed!

Winner: Vault of Knowledge, Sky: Children of the Light

Poll 17 completed!

Winner: SCP-4001 "Alexandria Eternal", SCP Foundation

Poll 18 completed!

Winner: Death's library, The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

Poll 19 completed!

Winner: The Lines Between, Dimension 20: Neverafter

Poll 20

Poll 21