Libraries

The Brussels-Capital Region’s cultural life is essentially centred on the two linguistic communities: the French Community and the Dutch-speaking Flemish Community.

These two institutions run libraries, too, where you can loan books and more often than not CDs and DVDs as well. You can go online at most public libraries or read reference works and magazines.

• In Brussels there are around sixty Opens in new windowbook libraries (FR) and five Opens in new window"PointCulture" and multimedia libraries (FR) where you can loan CDs, DVDs and games.
• Public libraries generally have a children’s section, but French speakers also have access to a dedicated children’s literature centre, the Opens in new windowCentre de Littérature de Jeunesse de Bruxelles (FR).
• The Opens in new windowArchives et Musée de la Littérature (FR) preserves and promotes the works of Belgian authors writing in French.

• There are twenty or so Opens in new windowapproved libraries (NL), spread throughout the 19 Brussels communes. Some of them also loan out CDs, DVDs and CD-ROMs.
• The Opens in new windowArchief en Museum van het Vlaams leven te Brussel (NL) preserves examples of the intangible cultural heritage of Dutch speakers living in Brussels, such as works by Flemish authors and printers, as well as documents of the Flemish movement in Brussels.

• The Opens in new windowRoyal Library of Belgium stocks a copy of every Belgian publication (FR/NL) and an extensive collection of old manuscripts, engravings and letters.
• The visually impaired can visit the Opens in new windowbilingual library of the Ligue Braille (FR/NL) or the External linkEqla (FR).
• If you are looking for scientific works, you can use the university and college libraries. The City of Brussels also has a Opens in new windowLibrary of Science and Technology (FR) , a Opens in new windowLibrary of art (FR) and a Opens in new windowLibrary of Teaching (FR).
• Most museums also have a specialised documentation centre or a library, like the Opens in new windowBelgian Comic Strip Center.

Most cultural centres of foreign embassies in Brussels have a documentation centre or a library. Some of them may also have DVDs and CDs in their own national language.