Work in our reading rooms and consult our collections of books and newspapers, electronic resources and multimedia documents. There are 1500 seats available, as well as computer and multimedia workstations and wifi access.
Please note: Documents can be consulted on-site only. Home loans are not permitted.
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 : World Literature
room H : French Literature
room I : National Centre for Children’s Literature
room J : Philosophy, History, Humanities
You can also search by subject:
Discover our Public Library’s Collection [In French]
The resource centres give reference information on a selection of subjetcs, both on-site and online [in French]:
The Library offers many electronic resources – periodicals, monographs, databases, Gallica and Internet Archives - accessible on-site or online.
Simply connect to the BNF WIFI network from your laptop, tablet or smartphone to access a selection of electronic resources. These resources are also accessible in areas that do not require a pass: halls, alleys, cafés etc.
Computer workstations in reading rooms grant access to all the electronic resources the library has suscriptions for.
In the reading rooms, you can access all electronic resources from your laptop, except four protected databases (Euromonitor, Frost & Sullivan, Orbis et Xerfi).
Wired connection only.
You will need to install the software AVEC on your first connection.
Electronic resources can be partly consulted outside of the library
Please note: Documents can be consulted on-site only. Home loans are not permitted.
Group rooms can be booked on the same day and up to one week in advance, for a maximum duration of 4 hours per day and 20 hours per month.
In each room, you will find:
Reading room © Béatrice Lucchese / BnF
| Localization | Maximum seat number |
|---|---|
|
Room G |
3 |
|
Room H |
3 |
|
Room D |
6 |
|
Room F |
6 |
|
Room J |
8 |
| Mon. | Tue. | Wed. | Thu. | Fri. | Sat. | Sun. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10AM - 8PM |
10AM - 8PM |
10AM - 8PM |
10AM - 8PM |
10AM - 8PM |
1PM - 7PM |
You can use the Affluences application to know the occupation rate for each reading room (real time and anticipation for every half hour). The data is updated every five minutes.
Access to the Public Library from 5 PM to 8 PM
Valid for 1 year.
Unlimited access to the reading rooms in the Public Library and to our exhibitions, concerts, and shows
Valid for 1 year.
Unlimited access to the reading rooms in the Public Library and to our exhibitions, concerts, and shows
Valid for 1 year.
For all children under 16 accompanied by 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.
Changing tables are available in the women’s and men’s washrooms in the foyer of the small auditorium.
It is possible to eat in several places in the Library.
The Tschann bookstore, located allée Julien Cain, offers selections in the humanities and literature, fine arts or youth.
