Benedito Leite Public Library, Public library in São Luís, Brazil.

Benedito Leite Public Library is an institution in São Luís that houses approximately 140,000 books along with historical newspapers, manuscripts, and periodicals from Maranhão state. The collection includes both general and specialized materials, providing visitors with access to diverse subjects and knowledge areas.

The library was created on 29 September 1829 and opened on 3 May 1831 with 1,448 volumes in a room of the Convent of Carmo on Rua do Egito, stocked through a popular subscription after Emperor Pedro I refused funding. It moved between several addresses until its current neoclassical building, designed by João Magalhães de Araújo and built under governor Sebastião Archer da Silva, was inaugurated on 12 September 1951. A 1958 decree named it after former governor Benedito Leite. Closed for structural risk in 2009, it reopened in May 2013 after a R$ 7 million renovation.

The library's name, adopted by Decree 1316 of 8 April 1958, honours a former governor of Maranhão. Its collection of about 140,000 Brazilian and foreign works makes it the largest public library in the state and the 11th largest in Brazil. The 2013 reopening added 10,000 works to the holdings.

The library stands on Praça Deodoro, and its surroundings were reworked in 2018 with concrete and granite paving, accessible routes, benches of lioz stone and new lighting. The building was closed from September 2009 for structural repairs and reopened on 9 May 2013 after a R$ 7 million renovation that added accessibility features and 10,000 works to the collection.

The building's name honours Benedito Leite, a former governor of Maranhão, by Decree No. 1316 of 8 April 1958. The neoclassical design by architect João Magalhães de Araújo, executed by engineer Antônio Alexandre Bayma, was inaugurated on 12 September 1951. Look for the semicircular wings, Greek-style columns and windows topped with pediments.