Bibliothèque Nationale de France

Bibliothèque Nationale de France, French national library in Paris. The library is a combination of the collections of the Bibliothèque de Roi (Royal Library), which was founded in 1367 by Charles V, the library of the Orléans family, and the Bibliothèque de France (Library of France). The first two libraries were united by Francis I at Fontainebleau, a residence of French kings in northern France, and were later transferred to Paris by Charles IX. A decree from 1537 (still in effect) requires that one copy of every work printed in France be kept on file in the national library. The merged libraries were renamed the Bibliothèque Nationale in 1795, and in 1994 the Bibliothèque Nationale merged with the Bibliothèque de France to form the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.

In 1998 the books, periodicals, and recordings were moved to the François Mitterrand library, a purpose-built archive on the site of the former Bibliothèque de France, on the Rue de Tolbiac, in Paris. Some of the collections remain housed at the location of the former Bibliothèque Nationale, on the Rue de Richelieu. Further sites include the Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal and the Bibliothèque-Musée de l'Opéra, both in Paris, and the Maison Jean Vilar, in Avignon.