Address
Schedule
Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sun, Sat, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Closed: Easter Monday, Victoria Day, June 24, July 1, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Dec 24, 25, 26 and Jan 1.
Notes
Closed on December 31 and January 2.
Price
Sustainable choice
The Grande Bibliothèque – Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec is an impressive 33,000-square metre public repository of knowledge and culture in the heart of Montréal’s Quartier latin. Home to over 4 million items, including two million books and an extensive multimedia collection, the Grande Bibliothèque offers a wealth of information and insight to over 50,000 visitors per week.
All it takes is an hour and a smartphone or tablet from the information desk to follow the self-guided tour and discover the breadth of this spectacular collection housed in an award-winning building.
The Universal Circulating Collection and the National Collection are showcased in “chambres de bois”, or wooden rooms, with specially-designed wooden slat walls that can be arranged to direct or block light, as per conservation requirements. In a nod to Québec patrimony, the wooden slats are made of yellow birch, the official tree of Québec.
What’s more, the Grande Bibliothèque is as interesting on the outside as on the inside: the result of an international design competition, the design of this contemporary, five-storey building features no less than 6,000 plates of frosted and tempered glass in addition to a ceramic coating never before used in North America.
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