ANA reports that the historic library in Zakynthos in the Ionian Islands is the oldest library in Greece has recently been opened to the public. 

The restored 200-square-meter reading room that can provide a rare version of the reading room. 

The library was established in 1628 when the island was occupied by the Venetians and its governor Thomas Flaginis donated 200 books to the city. 

It was formally established in 1803, and was led by the historian Panagiotis Chiotis as an independent public service entity. His donations included archaeological artifacts, coin collections and art galleries. , Enriched the collection. 

It is located in a neoclassical building in the central square of Zakynthos. It now contains nearly 70,000 books, of which 50,000 are rare editions. 

It has encountered funding difficulties and has only two staff members, none of whom are archivists. 

The library is independent but supervised by the Ministry of Culture, and its projects are affected by the Greek austerity period (2010-2019) and other priorities. It also urgently needs conservationists for its books.