Frequently asked questions

No registration is required to enter the library. Access is free. All you have to do is withdraw a ticket from the automatic terminal when you arrive at the Center Pompidou (this ticket to access the library is valid for 30 minutes).
Please note, any exit from the library is final, you will have to go outside and wait in the green queue to be able to enter again.

Priority access through the staff entrance is authorized for people with disabilities on proof.
People over 65 and pregnant women can take the yellow, priority lane on Place Georges-Pompidou, on presentation of proof.
For more information, please seen the section Practical information (Access).

Access is fluid every day except Saturdays and Sundays: in this case, we advise you to arrive after 5 p.m. to avoid a long wait.
On weekends, it is common for public entry to be suspended for a period that is sometimes quite long, when all the places are occupied.

Three points of vigilance are observed:

Outside
The entrance to the Public Information Library is on Place Georges-Pompidou. Entry is through the green line.
People with priority access (over 65, pregnant women) can take the yellow line. People with disabilities can use the Center Pompidou staff entrance, located at the corner of rue du Renard and rue Saint-Merri.

At the entrance to the library
A check at each entrance, including gates with metal detectors, is carried out, supplemented by bag checks. Before this control, an automatic terminal will allow you to withdraw a ticket which will open the gates of the library (ticket valid for 30 minutes to enter the library)

Inside the library
Security agents carry out regular patrols in the library. If needed, feel free to ask the librarians at the nearest information desk.

Anyone who does not accept these measures will not be able to enter the library.

Visitors are not authorised to access to the Bibliothèque publique d’information with bulky objects, suitcases, backpacks and other bags and luggage exceeding the authorised size (40 cm x 55 cm x 20 cm).
Two bags per visitor are allowed.

It is forbidden to bring into the library:
– Alcoholic drinks, illicit substances
– Motorbike or moped helmets
– Objects on wheels (rollerblades, rollerskates, skateboards, etc.)
– Weapons and ammunitions of all categories
– Explosive, inflammable or volatile substances
Some objects can be left in the Center Pompidou cloakroom, located in the forum

We recommend that you stay vigilant with regards to your own bags, to scrupulously respect the safety instructions and to notify the staff of any object that appears to have been abandoned.
We are attentive to each of you and thank you for your trust, goodwill and understanding.

The Bpi is not a lending library. You can only consult the documents in paper format on site, in the library spaces.
However most of the digital resources available in the library give the possibility of downloading the content on your personal computers, in order to then be able to read them offline, at home. Finally there is one exception: some digital platforms are accessible outside the Bpi.

Transferring documents from one library to another, at the request of a reader, is not possible at the Bpi.

For reasons of hygiene and to respect the collections integrity, it is forbidden to eat food in the library spaces. Drinks are tolerated in closed recipients. A cafeteria is available for visitors on the second level.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to reheat a meal in the cafeteria.

See the general information desk on level 2 as quickly as possible after you notice you have lost your belongings, to be able to collect them if this is the case.

The library does not have rooms reserved for group work.

Electric sockets can be found on the work tables by the lamps for charging and powering your devices. It is strictly forbidden to unplug the library’s devices.

NB: Recuperating documents is different depending on the workstation used:

On Internet workstations, you can:
– print the document
– send a document to your personal email
On the other hand you cannot save a document on a USB flash drive

On the independent learning workstations (without an Internet connection), you can:
– only recuperate your document by printing it

Good to know: whatever the workstation used, all documents created can be saved. Saving is temporary as these documents will be deleted at the end of your session.

You have two possibilities for freely accessing the Internet, and free of charge.
– from the library’s freely accessible workstations, without booking and with no time limit.
– from your personal device (laptop computer, tablet, smartphone) by connecting to the library’s “Wifi-bpi” network.

Good to know: A wide selection of websites including Pôle Emploi (the French job centre) can be browsed on multimedia computers.

Self-service photocopiers and printing servers are available on level 2. To find out the rates, see the section Practical information – Other services.
Photographing documents is only authorised if it is strictly reserved for the photographer’s personal use and not intended for collective use.

It is possible to print documents from the library’s computers and from your own computer, tablet or smartphone connected to wifi-bpi.

Printing from a USB flash drive is possible by going to the Photocopies space on level 2 of the library.

No, it is not possible to download electronic documents to a USB flash drive, the USB ports are not accessible.

You can contact the Bpi:

by telephone on:
+33(0)1 44 78 12 75 (library reception switchboard)
by post:
Bibliothèque publique d’information
75197 Paris cedex 04

Do you want to get information about a particular subject or send us a message? Fill in this form.

You can apply by filling in the form that corresponds to your request (internship, temporary and permanent jobs) by seeing the section: Jobs and internships.

For an unsolicited application, please send an email: recrutement@bpi.fr

When you are at home you can access Eurêkoi, a question and answer service that’s free of charge and can be used by all. Questions can be asked via the Bpi website (Eurêkoi section), the Eurêkoi public Facebook group or directly on the Eurêkoi website. You can also download free of charge the Eurêkoi app.

Answers are given in less than 72 hours by Bpi librarians or partner libraries in the Eurêkoi network. They’ll answer all your questions, except those which require a medical or legal assessment.

Most electronic resources of the Bpi are only accessible in the library from the Bpi workstations and for almost all devices connected to the Internet (smartphone, tablet and laptop computers). However, several platforms allow remote consultation after creating a personal account or downloading a dedicated app in the library. Discover these platforms and what to do in the section Remote services – Digital collections.
From home you can look up all of the electronic resources offer at the Bpi by browsing the catalogue or the Digital Bpi section on the website.

You can make suggestions for documents to purchase via the website contact form (choose in the list: “suggestions for catalogue acquisitions”) or on site with librarians at the information desk (readers’ book).
Your suggestions will then be studied, as they arrive, according to the library’s documentary policy. You’ll receive an answer as soon as possible.

The Bpi does not accept donations from individuals, organisations or publishers.

Information relating to the copy(ies) the library has can be found under the document instructions. These indications will enable you to know where the document is on the shelves when it is available (level and space concerned) or to access it directly online in the case of an electronic resource.
Certain documents already appear in the catalogue whereas they are not yet on the shelves. These are documents on order, being processed or repaired. Their arrival on the shelves varies from a few days to a few weeks. Feel free to see a librarian who can suggest other interesting resources while waiting.

Good to know: the catalogue allows you to refine your search results according to document availability.

The library does not have a Children’s section and its documents are mainly intended for an adult audience but some documents may be of interest to younger visitors.
They can watch animated films and filmed shows (comfortable workstations to watch them are available on level 3 of the library, Arts section), listen to recordings of fairy tales or nursery rhymes.
Elsewhere in the library, older children can play certain video games (please be aware that the selection is renewed regularly, please check the minimum age recommended for each game), learn languages, look through documentaries, read BDs and online journals…

See the page on the website: “You are visiting with your family“

To find out about all the activities offered by the library, you can see:
– the agenda section of the website
– the monthly programme available at the Bpi
– the dynamic screens in the library
– the flyers presenting the cultural events.