The Library of the Hellenic Parliament was founded by the first Parliament that was formed after the passing of the Constitution of 1844, as a general library with the main purpose of supporting parliamentary work. Since the 20th century the Library also has offered access to its collections and parliamentary information to the general public. It is a National Depository Centre. Today the library holds over 750,000 items and its collections of rare materials include some 500 manuscripts and 10,000 early printed books.