Libraries in Paris

Bibliothèque nationale de France - François Mitterrand (BnF)

The Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), is the national library of the French Republic; It received as a legacy the royal collections gathered since the late Middle Ages.

There are 2 libraries at the BnF:

The Haut-de-jardin level (also referred to as the Public Library) Open to anyone 16 years of age and over. Readers can buy their passes for the Haut-de-Jardin Library in the East Hall.
The Rez-de-jardin level (also referred to as the Research library). Entrance to the Research libraries is limited to accredited users. Undergraduate students must provide a valid student card and a list of documents requiring access to the BnF research library. Readers must justify their request at the interview with the Readers’ Guidance service librarian.

Website: http://www.bnf.fr
Practical info in English: https://www.bnf.fr/en/francois-mitterrand
Online catalog: https://catalogue.bnf.fr/index.do

Address : Quai François-Mauriac, 75013 Paris.

Phone : 01.53.79.59.59

How to get there:

Line 6 - Quai de la gare
Line 14 & RER C - Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand
Bus : Lines 89, 62, 64, 132 et 325

Research Library Hours:

Monday: 2pm-8pm
Tue-Sat: 9am-8pm

Closed Sunday. 5€ day pass. 20€ 5 day pass. 35€ Unlimited student research pass.

Public Library hours:

Tue-Sat: 9am-8pm
Sunday: 1pm -7pm

Closed Monday.

3.5€ day pass. Free after 5pm.

15 € One year Pass BnF lecture/culture

The Pass BnF lecture/culture provides unlimited access to the reading rooms of the Reference Library, but also to the exhibitions, concerts and shows organized at the BnF. The Pass BnF lecture/culture is also available online.

Bpi (Bibliothèque publique d’information) / Centre Pompidou

The Bpi is located in the Pompidou Centre also called Centre Beaubourg. The Public Information Library (Bpi), is a national library, open to all. It has three floors of nearly 430,000 documents on every subject and on every kind of support, that can be consulted on-site in open access and free of charge.

The entrance is on the rue Beaubourg, opposite the entrance to the Centre by the Piazza.

Website : www.bpi.fr
Online Catalog: http://catalogue.bpi.fr/tout

Address: Centre Pompidou, 75001 Paris

How to get there:

Metro: Châtelet, Rambuteau, Hôtel de Ville,
RER: Châtelet, Les Halles
Bus : 38, 47, 75 RER : Châtelet - Les Halles

Hours:

Sat, Sun, Public holidays: 11am-10pm
Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri: 12pm-10pm

Free Entrance. Closed on Tuesdays

Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève

The Sainte-Geneviève Library is an interuniversity and public library, accessible to anyone over the age of 18 or holding a bachelor's degree. The library maintains and enriches its multidisciplinary research-level collections of nearly two million documents, including 18,300 periodical titles.