Reading rooms at the National Library re-open from June 8 from 8.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.
The reading rooms of the National Library of Poland are set to re-open from Monday, June 8, 2020. New rules concerning use of the reading rooms during the epidemic ensure the safety of Library users and staff.
Visitors are required to disinfect their hands on entering the National Library and to keep their mouths and noses covered during their visit. Advance reservations are required in order to use the reading rooms. Please note that the modernisation and building works which began August 2018 will continue as planned until early 2022. During this period, users can access the collections of the National Library in small, temporary reading rooms, each of which usually has space for 90 users. However, due to the need to maintain two meters' distance between users during the pandemic, fewer places than normal will be available after the re-opening on June 8.
Please note that POLONA digital library is still available 24/7, with more than three million publications.
Reserving a seat in the Main Reading Room
From June 8-20, 2020, visitors will need to reserve a seat in the Main Reading Room (Czytelnia Ogólna) before their visit. A maximum of one reservation a day is possible, for one of the following time slots:
- 8.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.
- 1.30 to 5.30 p.m.
- 6.30 to 8.30 p.m.
During the breaks between time slots, desks and other surfaces will be disinfected and the Reading Room aired.
A maximum of 50 seats will be available each day, until such times as the regulations are relaxed. If the number of readers is lower than the number of seats available, restrictions on seat reservations will be lifted.
The reservation system will begin operating on Friday, June 5 at 10 a.m. Details will be published on www.bn.org.pl.
Ordering 19th to 21st century books and magazines
From June 8-20, 2020, users can order a maximum of two items (19th to 21st century books and magazines) per seat reservation. Orders can be placed from Friday, June 5 via the electronic catalogue of the National Library. Subsequent orders can only be placed after returning the items borrowed.
We encourage users to order first and foremost publications which are not available in other libraries in Warsaw or via the Academica interlibrary loan system for books and scientific publications (to which more than 1,100 libraries in Poland have access) or POLONA.
On-demand digitisation
Orders for early printed books and most microfilms will be sent for free scanning and made available via POLONA within a week. During the epidemic, these items will only be available via POLONA.
Users can already place orders for free scanning of early printed books and other publications not covered by copyright (which usually ends 70 years after the death of the author, i.e. items published before 1950) via the "On-demand digitisation" service.
Reserving seats in other reading rooms
Manuscripts will be available in the Heritage Collections Reading Room (Czytelnia Zasobu Wieczystego) between 8.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. Please reserve a seat by email: manus@bn.org.pl.
To access graphic materials, maps or musical scores, please make an appointment with the head of the collection in question via email:
- Prints and drawings: ikon@bn.org.pl
- Maps: kart@bn.org.pl
- Musical scores: zzmuz@bn.org.pl.
Please note that the National Library reading rooms will remain open in July and August from Monday to Saturday, 8.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.