Tag Archives: Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève

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Our Guide to Libraries in Paris

There is a wide variety of libraries (bibliothèques) available to you during your studies at the Paris School of Arts and Culture. Whether you are looking for a quiet space to study or searching for specific material for your research, you can find the best venue to suit your needs in this helpful guide.

Bibliothèque Nationale de France

PSAC Library Memberships

As a student of our Paris School you will become a member of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (the National Library of France and France’s premier research library, it is equivalent to the British Library) and the American Library in Paris, where we have a dedicated collection of books which are included on your module reading lists. You will be inducted into these libraries within the first few weeks of your first term. Once you are a member, you can use these libraries as study space as well. In addition to these, Reid Hall has a lovely library, which has workstations and power outlets, which is a tranquil and beautiful place to study, write or read.

Kent’s Digital Library, home to an extensive collection of e-books, e-journals, newspapers, and more, is an extremely valuable resource during your studies. We recommend you attend our Digital Library presentation in order to make the most of these resources for your research.


Bibliothèque Publique d’Information, Centre Pompidou. Photo: Paris Info

Speciality Libraries in Paris

Paris has a number of excellent speciality libraries which you may like to visit depending on your programme. Here are the main ones you may want to use:

Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève Online Pre-Registration Form

Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève

This beautiful historic library (top photo), located next to the Pantheon and in the heart of Paris’ academic centre around the Sorbonne University, is a wonderful place to study. It is free to use the library, however, you first need to register to get a library card. Here are instructions on how to do this:

 

  1. Create an account on the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève website (see image above for the French-English translation).
  2. Bring ID and student card to the welcome desk within a month of online registration, photocopies are not accepted.

la Bibliothèque du cinéma François Truffaut. Photo: Ville de Paris

City of Paris Public Libraries

There are over 50 public libraries around Paris. They are all free to use and open to anyone. You can use their study spaces without becoming a member, however, to take out material from their collections you need to enrol. You can do this at any one library and your card is valid at all the libraries in the network. To enrol you will need to bring your ID and proof of your Paris residency. Further details in English here.

Top Photo: Salle de lecture Bibliotheque Sainte-Genevieve. Marie-Lan Nguyen / CC