Galactic Library

The last light of reason before the long night of galactic barbarism.

The Galactic Library is a repository of human knowledge located on Trantor, the imperial capital. It is a site of significance during the decline of the First Galactic Empire.

Quick Facts

Location: Trantor

Lore & Background

Harry Turtledove's "Trantor Falls" tells of the efforts to survive during the sacking of Trantor, the imperial capital. In Forward the Foundation, Hari Seldon establishes the Second Foundation in secret, and it later turns out to be at the Imperial Library of Trantor itself.

Reader's Guide

For readers, the Galactic Library represents the stakes of knowledge preservation in the Foundation series. Its location on Trantor makes it central to the early Foundation era, as Hari Seldon and his scholars relied on its resources. The sack of Trantor, as covered in expanded universe stories like "Trantor Falls," underscores the fragility of civilization's memory. After the sack, Ebling Mis works at what remains of the Great Library of Trantor to find clues to the location of the Second Foundation.