The Central Public Library of Rethymno is one of the biggest public libraries in Greece. It was founded in 1953, incorporating the book collections of earlier institutions such as the Educational Society of Rethymnon (est. 1887) and the Rethymnon Cultural Center (est. 1945). Today it holds over 76,000 contemporary items as well as collections of periodicals, digitized materials and a collection of some 4,300 rare books, including early printed books.