Opening hours

How to register

The reading rooms of the Library are available to both Russian and foreign residents above the age of 18. Registration involves issuing an individual library card with a holder’s photo. The photo is taken as part of processing the library card and is charged 100 rbl. Visitors from abroad, including CIS and Baltia citizens, should provide an ID (please attach its translation into Russian) with either visa or OVIR, embassy or consulate registration. One-off visitors can obtain a library pass to access catalogues, including e-catalogues, of the following departments: Web Resources Department; Department of Public Documents, Official Records and Regulatory Publications; e-library of RSL — LG; the General accessory stock and reference rooms.

How to find us

RSL departments and services are located at five different addresses as listed below.

• Moscow, Vozdvizhenka, 3/5
  (nearest tube stations: ’Arbatskaya’, ’Aleksandrovsky Sad’, ’Borovitskaya’, ’Biblioteka Imeni Lenina’)
• Moscow, Vozdvizhenka str., 3/5, str. 1 (’Dom Pashkova’)
  (nearest tube stations: ’Arbatskaya’, ’Aleksandrovsky Sad’, ’Borovitskaya’, ’Biblioteka Imeni Lenina’)
• Moscow, Vozdvizhenka str., 1
  (nearest tube stations: Arbatskaya, Aleksandrovsky Sad, Borovitskaya, Biblioteka Imeni Lenina)
• Moscow, Mokhovaya, 6-8
  (nearest tube stations: Arbatskaya, Aleksandrovsky Sad, Borovitskaya, Biblioteka Imeni Lenina
• Moscow region, Khimky, Bibliotechnaya str., 15
  (by bus: nearest tube station ’Rechnoy Vokzal’, bus 344 or 368 to ’Bibliotechnaya Ulitsa’ bus stop; by train: from Leningradskiy Central Station to Levoberezhnaya)

Reading Rooms

Every Reading Room of the RSL has got it’s own history, means and potentialities, working hours, rules and regulations of its users. There are contact telephones, names of the RSL departments and reading rooms, providing with a variety of library and information services in this section.

Reading rooms of RSL (full list):

• Reading Rooms of the Department of Library Services
• Rooms for access to catalogues
• Computer room for access to Digital Catalogue
• Computer room for access to the digital library
• Computer room for access to the Internet and digital stock
• Reading Rooms of the Central Reference Library at the department of references and bibliography
• Self-service computer room at the reference and bibliographic department
• Reading Room for the recent acquisitions of foreign and Russian editions and serials
• Reading room for the recent periodicals
• Reading room for microforms
• Reading room for military literature
• Reading rooms for public state and regulatory publications
• Reading room for the Russian Literature abroad
• Reading room for library science, bibliography and book studies
• Reading rooms for the department of manuscripts
• Reading rooms for music publications and audio records
• Reading room for publications in visual arts
• Reading room for cartographic publications
• Reading room for rare books (Book Museum)
• Reading rooms of the Centre of Oriental Literature
• Reading rooms for the department of dissertations
• Reading room for the department of newspapers
• Reading room for the literature collection «FOU»