Beginning with the idea of the national library as a symbol of the cultural identity of each country, and from an analysis of the concepts of cultural minority and multiculturalism, the paper presents the situation and activities in the field of multiculturalism and the attention paid to diverse ethnic groups by national libraries in New Zealand, Australia and Canada. The conclusions show that national libraries, if they are really to play the role of the first library in each country, must pay more attention to ethnic and cultural minorities.
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