Have a question ? Ask a Librarian (SINDBAD)

The ASK A LIBRARIAN Service (SINDBAD: Service d’Information Des Bibliothécaires A Distance) provides free document references on all topics and factual information (facts, figures, dates).

 

Emmanuel Nguyen Ngoc / BnF

Help us giving you the best service possible by detailing your research.Please specify which tools you used for your search and use the phone and chat service for quick searches. 
 

SINDBAD in a few words 

SINBAD is a free service and the information it provides is not meant for commercial use.
Regular requests can take up to 2 hours. You will be provided with a quick bibliography containing up to 15 references.
SINDBAD does not treat the following requests:
  • In-depth bibliographies
  • Expertise and financial quotes
  • Law-related and medical consultations
  • Press documents
  • Market analyses
  • Assisting with exams or school assignments 

SINDBAD does not provide free copies of documents under copyright.

For requests of this kind, please contact the “Images and digital services” department (reproduction@bnf.fr), which will provide a quote only if you have obtained the authorization of the right holders. As a stopgap measure, the SINDBAD service can provide a few (up to ten pages per request and one request per 7-day period and per user) on-the-fly digital pictures of copyright-free documents.

 

Do you have a quick question ?

Contact by phone Monday to Friday from 10am to 1pm +33 (0)1-53-79-55-00

For more complex questions

Fill in the following form. We reply by email within 3 working days.
To ensure that as many users as possible benefit from our services, we reserve the right to limit the number of questions a user can ask. 

 

 
 

If these channels are not suitable for your request, you can send a request via postal mail. We typically reply within 15 days.
 Bibliothèque nationale de France
SINDBAD
Quai François Mauriac 
75706 Paris cedex 13 FRANCE

Looking for an answer 

A selection of questions and answers processed by SINBAD is regularly updated in the BnF knowledge base. You can search by theme or look for a precise topic. The BNF knowledge base is hosted on the LibAnswers website, a collaborative software which supports questions and answers. 

 

 

Useful Resources

Before contacting SINBAD, make sure you researched in our online catalogs.

Tip: You can also search another available research tool!