Faq
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The National Library of Poland is open from 8.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m., Monday to Saturday.
Click here for detailed opening hours of individual reading rooms.
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The collections of the National Library can be accessed by anyone aged 13 or above who has registered with the Library and holds a valid library card. Minors aged 13 or above require written consent from their legal representative in order to register. The relevant registration form is available online – see Annex to the Conditions of Use of the National Library of Poland.
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Yes. You can access our Wi-Fi by logging in with your reader details, the same way you would log into the Library catalogue. Selected computer terminals in the reading rooms are also connected to the internet.
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If you are a registered reader but have forgotten your library card, please ask at the Information Point for a one-day library pass. Readers are entitled to 2 one-day passes a year. You will also need to show the Duty Librarian a valid photo ID when using the one-day pass in the reading rooms.
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On Saturdays we offer a limited service:
- Orders for books or periodicals are only processed up to 3 p.m. (orders placed after this time are processed the following Monday).
- Orders for ephemera, items from the bibliology collection and items with call numbers containing the sub-references Cim., Cym., Chr., Cim. Konsp., Konsp. or Wyst. are not processed on Saturdays; these items are available only if ordered in advance.
- The Cartographic Reading Room, Music Reading Room, and the Sound and Video Recordings Reading Room are closed on Saturdays, therefore maps, musical scores, recordings and iconographic items are not available.
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Readers must:
- Comply with the Library's regulations.
- Show the Duty Librarian or other National Library staff their library card on request.
- Use the desk allocated to them (number indicated on the token they receive).
- Not remove items from the location where they were provided for consultation.
- Put their mobile phones and other devices on silent and not make or receive phone calls whilst in the reading rooms.
- Treat items from the collections with due care.
- Not bring food or beverages into the reading rooms.
- Obey the Duty Librarian’s instructions.
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How much time it takes to process an order depends on the status and condition of the item, as well as the time required to have it fetched and delivered to the reading room. Orders made less than an hour before closing time are processed the next working day. Orders are processed from Monday to Friday, 8.30 a.m. to 7.45 p.m., and Saturday, 8.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Items must be collected within 2 days of the day on which they are ordered; for this reason we advise readers not to place orders more than two days before their planned visit. If you cannot collect your order within 2 following days, please extend your order by contacting the Information Point or reading room.
Orders for ephemera, items from the bibliology collection and items with call numbers containing the sub-references Cim., Cym., Chr., Cim. Konsp., Konsp. or Wyst. are processed from Monday to Friday, 8.30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Orders for items from special collections (manuscripts, maps, scores, iconographic items, recordings) are processed within the timeframe indicated by the head of the respective department or a person authorised by them. After placing an order for one of these items, users should check their account in the library catalogue to see if consent to access the items has been granted.
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Registered readers may access the National Library's collections in the reading rooms. It is not necessary to reserve a desk in advance. You can order items from the collections remotely or when in the Library by logging into your reader's account on katalogi.bn.org.pl.
We regret that it is not possible to order the following items online: books and periodicals belonging to the heritage collection (with call number A), items with the call number Kras. and items whose call numbers contain the sub-references: Cim., Cym., Chr., Cim. konsp., Konsp., Min. or Wyst. These items may only be requested with help of a duty librarian, also by email and via telephone.
Items from the heritage collection (with call number A) are made available for consultation only if a copy of the same item with a call number containing the sub-reference IIegz is unavailable.
The reading rooms have a total of 386 numbered desks. Additional unnumbered desks are available in the Newspapers & Current Periodicals Reading Room.
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The main building of the National Library is located at Aleja Niepodległości 213 and can be reached by metro (closest stop: Pole Mokotowskie), bus or tram (closest stop: Biblioteka Narodowa). Free parking is also available in front of the building. The main entrance to the Library is Entrance A, on the side facing Pole Mokotowskie park.
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The Information Point is by the Main Desk, visible from the main entrance.
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We are not a lending library. Items may only be consulted whilst in the reading rooms.
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The Reader Registration Office is on the ground floor of the main building at Aleja Niepodległości 213 and has the same opening hours as the Library itself (email rejestracja@bn.org.pl; tel. +48 22 608 2336). To register you will need to present your original state-issued identity document (passport, resident card, driving licence) , familiarise yourself with the Conditions of Use and sign a declaration stating that you will abide by them and giving us permission to process your personal data. You should receive your library card on the spot.
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Library cards are personalised and include a photograph of you. They are issued free of charge by the Reader Registration Office, inside the National Library. The photograph is taken free of charge on the spot.
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Please report lost library cards immediately to the Reader Registration Office by email on rejestracja@bn.org.pl or telephone +48 22 608 2336. Replacement cards are issued by the Reader Registration Office in the main building of the National Library at Aleja Niepodległości 213. Replacement library cards cost PLN 10, cash only.
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Written comments and suggestions regarding our services can be submitted at the Registration Office, or email kontakt@bn.org.pl.
The Library responds to comments submitted in writing, with full name and address, within 14 days.
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First, find the item you want in the online catalogue, then order it for delivery to one of the reading rooms. To order items, you need to be a registered user and have a library card.
You can place orders remotely or using one of the computer terminals in the National Library. You can also order items with the help of the Duty Librarian in one of the reading rooms and the information desk. Orders relating to items with call numbers containing sub-references in the form of letters can be placed via telephone and email on +48 22 608 23 30, +48 22 608 24 91 or bnczyt@bn.org.pl.
Items ordered from the stores must be collected within 2 working days.
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The National Library has a number of interconnected reading rooms: the Upper Reading Room, the Lower Reading Room, the Załuski Reading Room, the Reference Books Reading Room, the Recent Publications Reading Room, the Rare Books and Manuscripts Reading Room, and the Small Reading Rooms. These rooms contain a total of 386 numbered desks. In addition we have a Cartographic Reading Room, a Sound and Video Recordings Reading Room and a Music Reading Room, where readers may consult items from the respective collections. Readers and non-registered users alike may access the Newspapers & Current Periodicals Reading Room.
Details on our reading rooms and opening hours are available here.
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To use the reading rooms, first please leave coats etc. in the cloakroom and put any items you need for your work in a see-through bag. To access all reading rooms (except the Newspapers & Current Periodicals Reading Room) you need to pass through the gates, which you open with your library card. When you enter the reading room, please deposit your library card with the Duty Librarian, who will give you a token with your desk number on it. You should also show the Duty Librarian any personal items that you are bringing into the reading room. Food and beverages are not permitted in the reading rooms.
Desks in the reading rooms are assigned at the Main Desk (in the Upper Reading Room) and in the Rare Books and Manuscripts Reading Room. Please also collect and return any items that you have ordered here. When you have finished using the reading room, please return the sign with your desk number on it to the Duty Librarian and collect your library card. The only area for reading that can be used without a library card is the Newspapers & Current Periodicals Reading Room.
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Readers may:
- Ask the Duty Librarian for help using items from the collections or equipment in the reading room (computers, microfilm readers).
- Use their own devices such as laptops (after informing the Duty Librarian, with their permission, and only at the desk assigned to the reader).
- Use reference books available on the open shelves.
- Place orders for up to 10 items from the stores and use no more than 5 of them at a time (items that have been ordered must be collected within 2 days of ordering).
- Order scans of materials from the Office for Readers' Orders in accordance with current regulations and pricelist.
- Make copies of items themselves in accordance with current regulations and as instructed by the Duty Librarian (no flash photography permitted, shutter sounds must be turned off).
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For readers with limited ability to read ordinary print independently, the National Library provides computer hardware and software helping them to access books, journals and other items whilst on the Library premises. For visually impaired readers, the National Library provides computers equipped with audio software and scanners. We also have a Braille monitor. Desktop widescreen enlargers are available in the reading rooms and smaller portable enlargers are available from the Main Desk.
People with limited ability to read regular print independently can access selected books, periodicals, ephemera and other printed items in an accessible electronic format. For people with hearing or combined hearing and visual impairments, a computer station equipped with an induction loop is available to aid communication and access to information. The reading rooms and desks on all floors are accessible for wheelchair users.
Detailed information on our facilities for readers with disabilities is available from Library staff at the Information Point or on +48 22 608 23 30. For more detailed information on access to materials, please email bninform@bn.org.pl.
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You can access the following databases from the National Library. These databases can only be accessed whilst on the Library premises, after logging into a computer workstation connected to the internet, or on your own devices logged into our Wi-Fi.
Readers can also use the special workstations of the Academica digital interlibrary loan system.
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Yes. On entering the Library, please leave any coats, umbrellas, rucksacks, briefcases or large bags in the Cloakroom. This applies to all visitors to the Library. The Cloakroom can provide see-through bags for any personal items which you wish to take into the reading rooms or other public parts of the building. You can also take your own books, journals and laptop (without its case) into the reading rooms with you.
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Readers can order items from all the collections for consultation in the reading rooms with the exception of early printed books, in accordance with Library's regulations.
Orders relating to items with call numbers containing sub-references (in the form of letters) can be placed with the help of the Duty Librarian or by telephone or email.
Orders for items from special collections are processed within the timeframe indicated by the head of the respective department or a person authorised by them. After placing an order for an item of this type, users should check their account in the library catalogue to see if consent to access the item has been granted. In the case of items from special collections, we normally provide an alternative copy for consultation (digital version, microfilm) rather than the original.
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You may order up to 10 items electronically at a time. Orders for a few additional items can be placed with the help of the Duty Librarian.
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To order a periodical, you first need to find it in the online catalogue (under the menu item: Journal Search), then select the call number “IIegz” and pick the volume/issue you need. Copies of periodicals with the call number “IIegz” can be ordered without the help of the Duty Librarian. To order copies with the call number “A”, please ask the Duty Librarian for assistance or place your order by telephone or email.
Many periodicals in the Library's collections are available in digital form at POLONA.PL.
In case of difficulty placing an order, please call +48 22 608 23 30 or +48 22 608 24 91, or email bnczyt@bn.org.pl.
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To order a microfilm, you first need to find it in the catalogue and note its call number – this appears below the bibliographic description in the online catalogue. You can then place your order via the online catalogue.
In some cases you will need to consult the traditional card catalogue for microfilms. This is located on the first floor of the Library. To order items which are not in the online catalogue or for which no call number is given online, you need to fill in a paper form and submit it in the Upper Reading Room or Rare Books & Manuscripts Reading Room. Orders for microfilms are processed within 45 minutes.
If you have any difficulty placing your order, please call +48 22 608 23 30 or +48 22 608 24 91, or email bninform@bn.org.pl.
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You can order ephemera (call number “DŻS”) via the online catalogue and collect them in the Rare Books & Manuscripts Reading Room. Orders for ephemera are processed Monday to Friday, 8.30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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Yes. You can ask for a book to be sent to the National Library from another library in Poland if it is not held by the National Library or any other library in Warsaw. You can also ask the National Library to request items from foreign libraries if they are not available in Poland. A charge applies for this service. Such items may only be consulted in the reading rooms.
For details on interlibrary loans, please click here.
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Private individuals and institutions may request, against payment, reproductions of library materials from originals and secondary documents. Materials may only be copied in accordance with current legislation, in particular the Act on Copyright and Related Rights. Please send your order by email to biurozam@bn.org.pl.
Detailed information on how to place an order and prices are available on this website.