OPENING HOURS, ACcESS & ADMISSION 

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François-Mitterrand

General Information

The François Mitterrand library houses two libraries, one for the general public open from Tuesday to Saturday and one for researchers open Monday to Saturday. Tickets give you access to our reading rooms as well as to our exhibitions and cultural programme. Outside of the reading rooms, some work and visiting areas are accessible free of charge.
The site is located on an open plaza with four buildings shaped like an open book at each end. They host offices over seven floors and storage over 11 floors, all nested behind mobile wood curtains. 
 

Adress

Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand
Quai François Mauriac, 75706 Paris Cedex 13
Phone : +33(0)1 53 79 59 59

Buses

Lines 25, 62, 64, 71, 89, 132, 325

 

Metro

Line 6 (quai de la gare), 14 (Bibliothèque François Mitterrand), RER C (Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand)

Opening Hours 

  • Monday: 2 PM-8 PM
  • Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 9 AM–8PM
  • Sunday: 1 PM-7 PM
For the full reading romms schedule, see below 
Reading rooms hours

Please note

The BnF is closed on bank holidays*
Annual closing Paris sites (François-Mitterrand, Richelieu, Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal et Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra) :
from Thursday, August 29, 2019 evening to Monday, September 9, 2019 in the morning.
Priority Access is reserved to holders of a ‘Pass Recherche’, people with disabilities, pregnant women, people from 60 and up. Thank you for following the provided signage. 
*1 January, Easter Sunday and Monday, 1 and 8 May, Ascension Thursday, Pentecost Sunday and Monday, 15 August, 1 and 11 November, 25 December 

EXHIBITIONS

Closed on Monday
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday:
10AM–7PM
Sunday:
1 PM – 7 PM

Public Library

The public library is open to all from the age of 16. Passes to the library are sold in the entrance hall or online. The Pass BnF lecture/culture gives you unlimited access to the reading rooms in the Public Library and to our exhibitions, concerts, and shows. 
Please note: the reading rooms are accessible free of charge from 5 pm to 8 pm.

Public Library

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
  10AM
-
8PM		 10AM
-
8PM		 10AM
-
8PM		 10AM
-
8PM		 10AM
-
8PM		 1PM
-
7PM

Information Desk 

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
2PM
-
7PM		 9AM
-
7PM		 9AM
-
7PM		 9AM
-
7PM		 9AM
-
7PM		 9AM
-
7PM		 1PM
-
7PM

Pay Desk 

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
2PM
-
7PM		 9AM
-
7PM		 9AM
-
7PM		 9AM
-
7PM		 9AM
-
7PM		 9AM
-
7PM		 1PM
-
6PM

1 day Reader’s card

3.90 €

Reader’s card 5 PM - 8 PM

Access to the Public Library from 5 PM to 8 PM

Valid for 1 year

Free

Pass BnF lecture / culture (illimited)

Unlimited access to the reading rooms in the Public Library and to our exhibitions, concerts, and shows

Valid for 1 year.

Access Room I- Young people

Free

For all children under 16 with an adult. 

 

The three passes are valid for one year from their delivery date. They are strictly personal. 

 

Please note: The cost of a lost, stolen (without proof of theft report) or forgotten pass is 2€. Pass replacement is free if the pass is malfunctioning or if it was stolen (upon proof of theft report). 

An additional fee will be charged in case of access rights extension, see admission prices here. 

Free access collections are available in all fields

  • room A : Audiovisual Media  
  • room B : Press and Media 
  • room C : Science and Technology 
  • room D : Law, Economics, Politics
  • room E : Bibliographic Research, Books, Libraries
  • room F : Arts
  • room G : Foreign Literature
  • room H : French Literature
  • room I : National Center for Children’s Literature
  • room J : Philosophy, History, Humanities

Room I - Access for Young people (‘La Joie par les livres’)

Room I houses the National Center for Children’s Literature – Joy Through Books - and is open to Young audiences during the weekend and holidays. They must be accompanied by an adult (3 kids per adult max.). Adults must carry a pass; access for young people is free. 

Inside the reading rooms – people with disabilities

Each Public Library room (Upper Garden level) has two priority seats reserved for people with disabilities and one accompanying person. 
There are also some reserved seats in the Research Library reading rooms (Garden level). When booking a seat online, simply select a ‘Reduced Mobility’ seat. Items from the storage will be brought at your seat by our agents. 

In M and U rooms, you can book cabins specially equipped for visual impairments. 

 

Before purchasing a pass:

You can prepare your visit by consulting our online catalogue or using our SINDBAD service by chat, phone or email.

Buying your Pass 

You can purchase our Pass BnF lecture/culture  through our online ticketing service :
  • browse our ticketing service
  • choose your pass
  • create your account
  • pay online
  • get your pass on site, at the reception desk of the François-Mitterrand site (Reception Hall), upon presentation of your identity document
Please note: 
Your online payment will be canceled if you fail to show up within 30 days. Your credit card won’t be charged. 

Renewing your pass 

You can renew your expired or soon-to-be expired pass to the Study Library :
  • On the online ticketing and registration website, only for passes created after 1 March 2017. If you are in possession of an older pass, you will need to go to the Library’s visitor desk to have it replaced. 
  • On-site, at the François Mitterand library’s general desk (in the Greeting Hall)
Please note: cash desks close at 7 PM. You won’t be able to retrieve or purchase a pass past that time. 

Electronic Resources  

The library offers many electronic resources – periodicals, monographs, databases, Gallica and Internet Archives - which can be accessed at the library or online. 
 

Research Library

At the Research Library, you can book your seat in our reading rooms to access collection consultation freely, request one of the 49 million documents conserved in the storage, research our entire electronic resources, work together in groups in our dedicated rooms and join workshops and training sessions.

Opening hours

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
2PM
-
8PM		 9AM
-
8PM		 9AM
-
8PM		 9AM
-
8PM		 9AM
-
8PM		 9AM
-
8PM		  

Accreditation

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
2PM
-
7PM		 9AM
-
7PM		 9AM
-
7PM		 9AM
-
7PM		 9AM
-
7PM		 9AM
-
7PM		  

Inathèque opening hours CNC opening hours

*Reserve: (Room Y) 2 PM-6 PM (Monday), 9 AM-6 PM (Friday to Saturday).

*Department of Maps and Plans: 2 PM-6 PM (Monday),10 AM-6 PM (Tuesday to Friday) & 10 AM-5 PM (Saturday) 

 

Day Research pass

5 €

5-Day Research pass (consecutive or not)

20 €

Unlimited research pass 

This pass additionally grants you free access to the Research Library and the General Library reading rooms, exhibitions, and events at the BnF. 

Valid for 1 year.

50 €

Reduced fare

35 €

 

Free access collections are available in all fields :

  • room K : Philosophy, Religion, Psychology-Psychoanalysis
  • room L : History
  • room M : Ethnology, Sociology, Geography
  • room N : Economics, Political science, Press 
  • room O : Law, official publications 
  • room P : Audiovisual, InaTHEQUE, CNC, French film archives
  • room R : History of sciences, Fundamental sciences
  • room S : Life Sciences, Engineering science
  • room T : Documentation on books, press, and reading 
  • room U : Foreign literature
  • room V : French literature 
  • room W : Oriental literature & Art
  • room X : Bibliographic Research
  • room Y : Rare books reserve 

Please note:

The Department of Maps and Plans is located in room R (Research Library – Garden level) of the François Mitterrand site until the reopening of the second renovated zone of the Richelieu Library (planned for 2020). 

Getting accredited 

On the Richelieu and François Mitterrand sites, a personalized interview will be conducted by a librarian at the Accreditation service to assess the needs of each reader, and determine their accreditation and its duration (1 Day, 5 Day, Unlimited).  

Documents consultations

Work in our reading rooms and consult our collections of books and journals, electronic resources and multimedia documents. There are 1500 seats available, computer and multimedia workstations and wifi access. 
Please note: Documents can be consulted on-site only. Home loans are not permitted. 
Document communication stops before the closing of the reading rooms (Research Library) :
  • Monday to Friday at 5PM
  • Saturday at 4 PM for printed documents and at 5 PM for microforms, supported audiovisual documents and Reserve documents. 
  • Monday to Saturday at 7 PM for digitized audiovisual documents 
There is also a document collection freely accessible from the reading rooms. Booking is mandatory and can be done on site on the same day. 
Request a document communication on-site or online and the item will be brought to you in the reading room. 

Group work rooms  

Group rooms can be booked on the same day and up to one week in advance, for a maximum duration of 4 hours a day and 20 hours a month. 
In each room you will find: 
  • Electric plugs 
  • A magnetic whiteboard 
  • A Wifi connection (except in rooms X-100 and X-101)
  • Room P is equipped with a video projector and two computer workstations
Plan, maximum number of seats: 
  • Room X (X-101) – 2 seats
  • Room X (X-100) – 4 seats
  • Room O -  8 seats
  • Room P – 14 seats
 

Making your visiting experience easy

Cloakroom

You can leave your personal belongings in the cloakroom before your visit (within storage capacity), except valuable and large items. 

Please note

Under Plan Vigipirate at ‘Heightened Security/Risk of Attack’ level, security and controls near the Library entrance have been strengthened. Only cabin luggage (55cm × 35cm × 25cm) are accepted inside BnF. 
Consequently, access can take a little longer than normal. We thank you for your understanding. 

Mandatory deposits 

To make your visiting experience easier, some items must be checked at the cloakrooms: 
  • Motorbike helmets 
  • Umbrellas and walking sticks 
  • Backpacks and small luggage 
  • Sharp and harmful objects  
  • Cardboard portfolios 
Please note: Some collections are submitted to specific rules. 

Get to know us

If you want to get to know the Library and navigate the spaces or know which offer is better suited to you, we offer a bespoke service for everyone including non-ticket holders. You can access the service:
  • By making an online appointment and selecting a 15-minute slot
  • Without appointment at the Accreditation Service (Greeting Hall)
A free introduction to the Library is also available.