One for the books: the library systems of Brussels

The public library: a bastion of universal education, a meeting ground for young and old, rich and poor to access the great thinkers of our time. In Brussels, you can find over 80 public general lending libraries and countless public and private specialised libraries throughout the 19 communes.

Most of these welcome you to come, browse their shelves, use their reading rooms and borrow books and other media. However, a few peculiarities – thanks to the very make-up of Belgium itself – mean there are a few things you should know before walking in.

Basics behind the books

Unlike many cities, there is no central organisation or government in the Brussels Capital Region that oversees a single system of public libraries. Nor does each of Brussels’ 19 communes directly run its own library system. Instead, libraries are the purview of the city’s two official language communities, the French Community and the Flemish Community.

This means that each commune is likely to have at least one French and one Flemish library, in which the majority of its materials will be in the corresponding language. However, both French and Flemish libraries will almost always have foreign language sections that will offer books in the other national languages, English, but also Chinese, Italian, Czech, etc.

The split systems also means that if you want to use both libraries from both Communities, you’ll be required to have two separate cards: the Bibliopass for the French libraries and a BruNo pass for the Flemish.

The downside of the public libraries, French or Flemish, is their opening hours, which can be pretty hard to pin down. Every library is different hours: some are only open after 1 p.m., others only three days per week. All will be closed on Sundays and public holidays. Plus, hours are likely to change during school holidays in the summer and over Easter.

French libraries

The majority (around three out of four) of libraries in Brussels are run by the French Community. Across Brussels, they have about 60 book lending libraries as well as five multimedia libraries offering an extensive collection of largely French-language literature, archives and media.

Their Bibliopass is free and can be obtained at any of the libraries. This card will allow you to borrow books for all library locations.

Flemish libraries

There are over 20 Flemish libraries in Brussels, run by the Flemish Community’s Brussels Network of Public Libraries (BruNo). The shining star among them is its newest edition, Muntpunt. For anyone who’s been in the city centre in the last year, it’s hard to have missed the appearance of this five-floor lending library and cultural centre right next to La Monnaie opera house.

Anyone can walk in and browse the shelves, but to borrow books, DVDs or other articles, you’ll need a BruNo card, which is obtain from your local library and costs €2.50 per year.

Special libraries

There are also countless libraries, both public and private, that specialise in particular topics. The Royal Library of Belgium, for instance, is responsible for keeping copies of every publication produced in Belgium and boasts an impressive collection of manuscripts, engravings and letters from Belgian history. Belgian Comic Strip Centre, on the other hand, holds the largest collection of comic strips in the world, which you can access Tuesday through Saturday for an admission fee of €1.20.

There are libraries for the blind and braille readers, for young people, for feminists and for bureaucrats. Also, cultural centres and institutions will often have collections as well. 

Photo courtesy Muntpunt