Here we have the large public heritage libraries with their magnificent edifices and collections, alongside the community libraries that are neighbourhood hubs full of useful resources and people, and open to locals and visitors alike – of any age and any nationality.
Hot tip: Community libraries often offer free wi-fi as well as language services, and many free public cultural and community events – they are there to help! You can register for loans in one library and receive a card to use in all. And when they say they have a ‘discotheque’ it means they have a collection of music – not a disco!
The largest English-language lending library in Europe, the American library aims to build bridges and fuel creativity, and hosts regular cultural events. Near the Eiffel Tower in the 7th.
The Paris Archives provide you with just over 21.7 million pages of documents and images, and a cultural program designed to illuminate the collection. In the 19th.
Family and local library in the heart of the Plaisance and Porte de Vanves districts, with conversation spaces, a seed library and regular board game night. In the 14th.
Neighbourhood library intended for young people, and enriched with a collection of Portuguese literature, in honour of the writer. In the town hall of the 8th.
Neighbourhood library over two levels, with multimedia stations, 75 newspaper and magazine subscriptions, and collections in English and in large print. In the 7th.
Community library over two levels, with 90 workstations, a digital space, seed library, board games, conversation workshops and musical instruments. In the 15th.
Community library with a digital space, writing workshops, story time and workshops for children, exhibitions and other cultural events. On the Rue de Rennes in the 6th.
Community library with resources for children and teens, book club, parents cafe, and events and exhibitions for all ages. On the first floor of the old town hall in the 4th.
Community library with digital space housing youth, adult, video and video game collections, manga, board games, conversation workshops, games and toys. In the 20th.
Community library with digital space, board games, children’s area, children’s workshops and more. On the Avenue de Flandre in the Villette district in the 19th.
Community library with children’s space, comic strip corner, a language centre and games collection, overlooking Rue Mouchotte in Montparnasse in the 14th.
Community library with a languages department, music department, cinema collection and musical instrument collection. On the Rue Buffon across from the Jardin des Plantes, in the 5th.
Community library with urban ecology and erotic literature collections, a space dedicated to Charlotte Delbo, literary and craft workshops. Near the Place des Victoires in the 2nd.
Community library over two levels with digital space, board games, discotheque collections for all ages, on the third and fourth levels of the Jean Verdier Animation Centre in the 10th.
Community library with digital space, conversation workshops, French language classes, multimedia workshops, and collections on theatre and feminism. In the 19th.
A community ‘youth’ library with a children’s corner, comics, multimedia stations, an animation room and storytime sessions. Within a design inspired by an upturned boat hull, in the 17th.
Community library with regular story times, French conversation workshops, literature club, spaces for different ages, and music. In the 20th.
The ‘Crimean’ is a ‘special youth library’ with new adult releases (novels and comics), digital space, board games, story time and other cultural activities, especially for young people. In the 19th.
The library of the Maison of Paris Nature reveals ‘the riches of nature, the wildlife of the capital and its environment’ through thousands of books, periodicals, board games and more. In the Parc Floral in the 12th.
The specialist heritage library offers collections all areas related to plants: Botany, Horticulture, Garden and Landscape Art, Garden History, and more. Within the school in the 12th.
On the 5th floor of the City Hall is a publicly accessible library (via a library card) with a reading room and resources from medieval times to present-day. In the 4th.
The library’s mission is to facilitate and encourage
the study, knowledge and understanding of the Arab world, its language and civilization. In the 5th.
The Library of the National Institute of Art History contains a vast catalogue of old and new resources, a reading room and specialised research guides. In the 2nd.
Community library with a youth section, literary cafe, musical concerts, story time, regular cultural events and workshops. Within the town hall of the 17th.
The BiLiPo
is dedicated to the conservation and promotion of detective and spy literature, and houses fiction and criminology reference works. In the 5th.
Community library with a specialised collection on the Art Market, a language centre, digital space, reading nights and a small collection for toddlers. On the Rue Drouot in the 9th.
The cinema library’s mission is ‘to enrich, make available and promote representative collections on cinema, television and video’. With thousands of books, CDs and DVDs, in the 1st.
This community and specialist library aims to preserve, enrich and promote the heritage collection of the Touring Club de France library’. In the 16th.
A heritage library specialising in fine, decorative and graphic arts, crafts, fashion, advertising, and design, the Forney offers cultural events, concerts, an exhibition gallery and more, within the Hôtel de Sens in the 4th.
Community library with adult, youth and discotheque spaces, a ‘curiosity cabinet’ and regular cultural events and digital workshops. On the Boulevard de la Villette in the 10th.
Community library with reading, working, youth and DVD spaces, offering board game nights and storytelling sessions, and more. In the 14th.
Community library offering a digital space, seed library, port’age, story time, workshops and events. In the 13th.
Community library offering digital space, conversation workshops, board games, digital workshops and a piano. In the Goutte d’Or region of the 18th.
Community library with a digital space, board games, seed library and interior garden, offering frequent cultural events and heavily youth-oriented. In the 15th.
Community library with digital space, board games, children’s space and musical instruments including a digital piano. Near the Canal Saint-Martin in the 19th.
The Historical Library of the City of Paris is a heritage dedicated to the history of Paris and the Île de France, and also the theatre, literature and feminism. In the Hôtel Lamoignon in the 4th.
The Italy library hosts Italian reading clubs, French conversation workshops, a collection of Italian literature translated into French and a large comics collection. Near the Place de l’Italie in the 13th.
Community library offering many cultural events and resources for children, youth and adults, including video clubs, a literary cafe and conversation workshops. In the 18th.
Local community library with dedicated children and youth spaces, regular story time and board game events, exhibitions and cultural events, and an interesting history. In the 19th.
Community library with reading room, multimedia stations, children’s section, literary cafe and regular literary events. On the Rue de Lisbonne in the town hall of the 8th.
Community youth library with a comics and documentaries space, children’s space, readings and workshops, board games and a seed library. Near the Gare de Lyon in the 12th.
Community children’s library with a mission to provide equitable access to reading and media for young people in the community, offering a wide selection of books, CDs, DVDs and magazines. In the 20th.
The Happy Hour library is a reference library for young people over three levels, with reading rooms, storytime, a toy library and multimedia stations. In the 5th.
Community library with digital space, French conversation workshops, board games, a seed library, admin services and support for learning French. In the 20th.
Community library with board games, a seed library, piano, workspace, toddler and comic spaces, and the grand salon of the original private mansion. In the 9th.
The Decorative Arts Library holds over 8000 works that are available for free access, and divided into major themes around decorative arts and fashion. On the Rue de Rivoli in the 1st.
Community library over two levels with internal garden, literary cafe, specialist collections, a youth space, books in English and Chinese, and frequent cultural events. In the 3rd.
Specialist library focusing on the history of women and feminism, and the history of gender, and housing collections of periodicals, letters, first editions, art objects and feminist propaganda. In the 13th.
‘Mamygeek’ is a community library over two levels aimed at adults and children, with a digital space, board games, a seed library, repair café, creative workshops and a reading club. In the 20th.
This community library with digital space, seed library, conversation workshops, board games, and internal garden, aims to foster environmental awareness, solidarity and the circular economy. In the 18th.
The Mazarin is a large heritage library holding thousands of manuscripts, rare and precious books, as well as current resources focusing on historical disciplines. On the Quai de Conti in the 6th.
Community library over four levels with youth space, discotheque, digital library, literary cafe and regular cultural events for children, adults and families. On the Rue de Mouffetard in the 5th.
Community library consisting of an adult section, a youth section, a music library with over 9000 CDs, and a contemporary theatre collection. In the 20th.
Community library with digital space, seed library, conversation workshops, a rich collection of ‘Metal’ music and regular cultural events. In the 11th.
The Polish Library in Paris is an important centre of Polish culture in France, playing the role of library, archive and museum, with over 200,000 texts plus Chopin’s drawing room. In the 4th.
The BPI is a national library, housing thousands of resources on general information and current affairs, and exhibiting frequently. In the Pompidou, in the 4th.
A community library specialising in imaginary literature, and offering board games, puzzles, regular workshops, concerts and cultural events. Near the Val-de-Grâce complex in the 5th.
Community library with French conversation workshops, a seed and cutting library, digital assistance, a public writer, an embroidery machine and 3D printer. In the 18th.
Community library with a digital space, board games, regular cultural events and workshops for all ages. On the Rue du Colonel Rozanoff in the 12th.
Community library with working space, dedicated children’s space, novels in French and English, monthly book club and other events. Within the town hall of the 7th.
An inter-university and public library dedicated to resources useful for interdisciplinary teaching and research. On the Place du Panthéon in the 5th.
Community library with a digital space, conversation workshops, a cuttings library, a public writer and French-as-a-foreign-language courses and activities for children, teenagers and adults. In the 18th.
Community library with a toddler space, board games, adult comics, French song collection, cultural events and creative workshops and thousands of resources for young people. On the 4th floor of the Valeyre Centre in the 9th.
Community library with board games, reading nights, comics, youth and children’s collections, books in English and more. On the Rue Lecourbe in the 15th.
The ‘historic cradle’ of the National Library of France, with a research library, museum, exhibition space, the Oval Room, a garden, bookstore, café and tours and events. On the Rue Vivienne in the 2nd.
The Bastille site of the BNF, with reading rooms and over a million books, journals, manuscripts, prints, maps, plans and music, plus numerous conferences, exhibitions and concerts. In the 4th.
A general library and a research library, the Rive Gauche site of the BNF houses thousands of resources over ten different themes, and sits in four book-shaped towers on the Quai François Mauriac in the 6th.
The Opéra-area site of the BNF, the library preserves the musical, iconographic and archival resources of the Opera and the Opéra-Comique, plus others relating to lyric art, dance and circus. On the Place de l’Opera in the 9th.
Former private mansion now a cultural institution, housing the Thiers historical library (and available for tours). On the Place Saint-Georges in the 9th.
A community media library with a youth section, toddler space, digital workspaces, exhibition spaces, language classes, a public writer and cultural program. In the 10th.
Community media library dedicated to hip hop and digital cultures, and offering workspaces, a seed library, board games, conversation workshops, activities and events for all ages. In the 1st.
Community media library with story time, a digital club, youth section, concerts, exhibitions and cultural events and workshops. On the Rue Nicholas Chuquet in the 17th.
Community library with musical instruments, a seed library, literary breakfasts, French conversation workshops, a garden and cultural events and workshops. In the 12th.
Over four levels and with a large green space, this community media library is strongly oriented to social inclusion and is linked to the nearby Refugee House. In the 19th.
Community media library over four floors, offering board games, video game consoles, musical instruments, vinyl records, conversation workshops and a youth area. In the 13th.
Community media library over four levels with a digital space, board games, musical instruments, reading and working rooms, exhibition space and frequent cultural events. In the 20th.
A media library with four levels of collections, a seed library, language centre, large music collection and the largest comic book collection in Paris. In the 15th.
The Paris Music Library (MMP) offers ‘a plural approach to music which meets the needs of all audiences, from the simply curious to the researcher, from the music lover to the professional musician’. In the 1st.
Community media library over six levels with working spaces, children’s area, conversation workshops, literary cafe, film nights, genealogy workshops and cultural events. In the 11th.