A set of images is being shared on social media platforms to claim that it shows that the world's largest library in the United States that has been opened in the name of Dr BR Ambedkar.
The claim: The images were uploaded with a caption in Hindi, which loosely translates to, "America opened the world's largest library in the name of India's messiah Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar!."
An archive of the post can be found here.
(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)
(More archives of similar claims can be found here, here, and here.)
Are these claims true?: No, these images are unrelated to the United States. According to reports, the photos are from 2017 and show the Tianjin Binhai Library in China.
The Quint did not come across any known library named after Ambedkar in the United States.
What led us to the truth?: A Google Lens search led us to the same pictures uploaded on a website named 'Arch Daily'.
It mentioned that the images were uploaded in 2017 and identified the library as Tianjin Binhai Library in China. We found all the viral images on the website.
It further said that the library was built by MVRDV, an architecture company based in Netherlands, in collaboration with local architects.
The images showed a library in China.
(Source: Arch Daily/Screenshot)
About the library: Next, we found three images as seen in the viral post uploaded on the official website of MVRDV.
These included the first image which showed a large sphere in the background, the second one showing two women in front of a large bookshelf, and the third one which showed a man reading while squatting.
According to the website, the library features a luminous spherical auditorium and floor-to-ceiling cascading bookcases. It aims to not only function as an education centre but also as a social space and connector into the cultural district.
News reports: A report published in Cable News Network (CNN) said that the Tianjin Binhai Library is one of the five major attractions in the Binhai Cultural Center. It also carried two similar visuals as the viral post.
It further mentioned that around 10,000 people visited the library during the first week of opening.
The report was published on 21 November 2017.
(Source: CNN/Screenshot)
The official YouTube channel of TIME had shared a video showing glimpses from the library. The video was uploaded on 29 November 2017 and was titled, "Take A Peek Into China’s Futuristic—And Controversial—New 1.2 Million-Book Library | TIME."
Has any library been opened in Ambedkar's name in US?: We did not come across any known library in the United States that was recently opened in the name of Ambedkar.
It should be noted that the largest statue of Ambedkar outside India was unveiled in a Maryland suburb in the United States on 14 October.
Over 500 people attended the unveiling ceremony of the 19-feet tall 'Statue of Equality'.
Largest library in the world: According to the Guinness World Records website, the Library of Congress in the United States is the world's largest library as of November 2021.
Conclusion: It is clear that several old and unrelated images are being shared to falsely claim that they show the world's largest library in the United States that was opened in the name of Dr BR Ambedkar.
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