Richelieu Library - Manuscripts Reading Room
Salle des départements des Manuscrits et de la Musique à Richelieu © Emmanuel Nguyen Ngoc / BnF
USeful information
- The reading room of the Manuscripts Department is located on the Richelieu site. The reading room is accessible to readers with an access ticket to the Research Library, Monday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Readers are requested to leave their personal effects in the central cloakroom (level -1). Jackets, coats, umbrellas, bulky objects and large bags must be placed in the lockers made available to readers. A transparent case is offered to them to carry pencils, papers and computers.
- The internal rules for reading rooms are included in the Rules for the spaces open to the public (BnF).
Services offered
- Wood’s Lamps and light table as well as magnifying glasses and measuring tapes are available at the desk.
- Wifi ; on-site access to databases, as well as copyrighted digitalized in Gallica Intra Muros.
- Document photography: if the state of documents permits it, photography with a personal camera is authorized for private use without flash. Some documents cannot be photographed for legal reasons: seek information at the desk.
- Access to internet, computerized catalogs, and online databases, from a personal laptop or from the room’s computer stations
- 2 computer stations, 1 station dedicated to consulting audiovisual documents, 2 microform readers, 1 video enlarger.
- A display featuring the latest department acquisitions.
conditions for Consultations
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The handling of documents is subject to certain precautions detailed in this document. As indicated by the BnF, gloves are also not recommended for handling paper and parchment documents, they may be for other specific media.
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Only pencils and laptops are authorized.
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Food and beverages must be consumed outside of the room
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Mobile phones must be switched to silent mode.
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Personal belongings must be stored in the lockers in the entry hall.
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For documents which have been reproduced, the reproduced version will be communicated to you. Requests for the consultation of original manuscripts have to be justified in the reservation form of the document in your personal online space.
Some collections are currently being inventoried and not fully accessible. For any further information please contact manuscrits@bnf.fr
Communication of documents
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| REQUEST FOR DOCUMENTS THE SAME DAY: BETWEEN 10 AM AND 5 PM (4 PM ON SATURDAYS). | |
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Communication on the same day. |
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Communication in Reading Room Y (Site François-Mitterrand, Rare Books Reserve) |
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Communication with delay
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Communication with delay
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Communication with delay and by appointment (the catalogs of booksellers kept in the manuscripts department are only very partially indicated in the general catalog of printed matter).
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Communication with delay and by appointment for those collection whose file plan has not yet been completed . For some collections, an authorization by the donator is necessary.
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No communications on Saturday
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No communications on Saturday
Communication after authorization by the director, from Mondy to friday (3 per day). The documents are communicated between 10AM and 10:30AM and between 1:30PM and 2PM Pieces from the Reserve and the Rothschild Collection are issued only once to the same reader. Depending on the condition of the works, access may be limited to less than one day. It is therefore advisable to arrive at the opening of the room to benefit from a full day’s consultation.
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A Video Presentation of the Department of Manuscripts
The reading room of the Department of Manuscripts is one of he first rooms of the BnF to have been opend on 15 decembre 2016.
Isabelle Le Masne de Chermont, director of the Department, presents in French the history of this room and talks about the restauration.
