The Narrator
The name and exact identity of the story's narrator are not revealed in the short story. However, the narrator does tell the reader some things about his life. He is an old man at the time of writing, but in his youth he went in search of "the catalog of catalogs" (112). He is a solitary person, as all who live in the Library seem to be, with no close relationships.
The Editor
Though this character is not referred to in the body of the short story itself, an editor is implied to exist in the world of the short story. Notes left for the reader by the editor can be found on the first, sixth, and seventh pages of the story. A reader without prior experience with Borges' works might think these notes are the comments of Borges himself or perhaps his editor, but in fact Borges used this device of a fictional editor in other short stories to add further nuance and commentary on a theme.
The Purifiers
Librarians who believed that "worthless books" (116) should be eliminated. Other librarians hated the Purifiers for destroying books, but the narrator thinks the effect of their actions was exaggerated.
The Book-Man
A person some librarians, including the narrator, thought and hoped might exist. This librarian would have examined the book that was the cipher or catalog for all other books.
