The National Library of Latvia, founded in 1919, is the biggest library in Latvia, covering mainly the social sciences and the humanities. Its collection consists of 4.5 million items. The library holds special collections of rare books, manuscripts, the Lettonica (Latvian) and Baltic Central Library collections, maps, sheet music, sound recordings, graphic publications, ephemera and periodicals. It is a centre for theoretical research into and practical analysis of the activities of Latvian libraries. It organises exhibitions, educational programmes, etc.