Modernisation of the reading rooms and public spaces of the National Library
Following the modernisation, the reading rooms are now three times their previous size. The new, functional spaces provide readers with access to around ten million volumes from the National Library’s storerooms and 3.5 million digital objects via the polona.pl website. The reading rooms also offer free reader access to four times as many books as before. Smaller, specialist reading rooms for research teams have also been created.
The interiors of the new National Library reading rooms use high-quality materials: copper on the ceilings, steel, wood and stone. These visually enhance the rooms while allowing them to retain their modernist character. The space has been designed with no architectural barriers so all readers can access it freely, whether they have a disability or not. The rooms are complemented by four internal gardens, each with a different design and specially selected plants that change with the seasons, plus a garden of fruit trees.
The open space is created by reading rooms without barriers. In the Newspapers & Current Periodicals Reading Room, by the entrance, readers can browse the latest issues of newspapers and journals, use the Internet and access the digital holdings of the National Library. This area is open to everyone: no reader’s card is required. The Lower Reading Room, located under the skylight and accessed via a spiral staircase with a lift inside, can be used by readers who want to enjoy natural daylight. The Recent Publications Reading Room offers the latest publications, updated daily. Next to it, old encyclopaedias and dictionaries can be consulted in the Reference Book Reading Room. The largest of the reading rooms is the Upper Reading Room, which features a comprehensive collection of history and fiction, also on open access shelves. The Upper Reading Room leads directly to the Załuski Reading Room, named after the Library’s founders, which houses the largest collection of bibliological works in Poland. Manuscripts, early printed books, rare items and old catalogues from libraries all over the world are available in the only closed reading room, the Rare Book and Manuscript Reading Room. Users continue to enjoy access to the Maps Reading Room, the Music Reading Room and the Sound and Video Recordings Room.
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