The library
The Bpi is a public library for anyone looking for information or in training, whether for personal or professional reasons, for school or university study.
In particular it provides spaces for reading and writing, extensive collections on all forms of media to consult on site, cultural activities organised within the Centre Pompidou…
The Library does not have a lending service nor a children’s book collection.
Missions and organisation
The general missions of the Bpi are set in its founding decree, and provide the structure for how it operates and is organised. They make it unlike any other public library.
Collections
Visitors can freely access almost 430,000 documents in all areas of knowledge and on all media
Cultural offers and mediations
Thanks to its varied offer of cultural events, appreciation guidance and remote services, the Bpi contributes to making culture and knowledge accessible to all.
Publications and communication media
The publications the Bpi publishes on paper, audio or the Internet form a reflection and extension of its activities.
Bpi visitors
The Bpi carries sociological surveys on a regular basis to know who its visitors are, what they expect and how they use the library.
The Bpi in figures
A few key figures to illustrate visitor numbers, the documentary and cultural offer and to attempt to sum up the activity of a large library.
History of the Bpi
A look back in photos at a few key dates of the project to create a large public library established in the centre of Paris in the 1960s.
