Discover the Bpi Lumière!

After six months of relocation due to the closure of the Centre Pompidou for renovations (2025-2030), the Bibliothèque publique d’information (Public Information Library) is reopening its doors in the Lumière building in Paris’s 12th arrondissement, near Parc de Bercy. Collections, services, outreach… Discover the Bpi Lumière and its new spaces!

© DR

From Monday, August 25, 2025, the Bibliothèque publique d’information (Public Information Library) will open its doors in new premises in the Lumière building located at 40 avenue des Terroirs de France, 75012 Paris. The library occupies the second and third floors of the south wing of this modern glass-fronted building, covering an area of more than 8,000 square meters, or three-quarters of the space currently occupied at the Centre Pompidou (10,400 square meters).

The library will remain free and open to the public, with extended opening hours:
• 12pm-10pm on weekdays
• 11am-10pm on weekends and public holidays
• Closed on Tuesdays and May 1

The spaces, specially designed for the Bpi, offer around 1,500 workstations and 220 computer stations.

Three workshops (one on the second floor, two on the third floor), as well as a box for permanent staff, will enable numerous mediation activities to be organized within the library.

The library’s iconic spaces will be present: New Generation with a video game lounge; Music, with two pianos, 25,000 albums, and more than 500 vinyl records; Self-Learning with more than 1,000 online courses and tutorials for self-study in all fields and more than 4,000 methods and reference books for 210 languages… In total, there are nine reception desks spread across the different collection areas.

The public will still have access to a reprographics room (photocopying, scanning, etc.) on the third floor. A cafeteria in the heart of the library allows visitors to buy and consume snacks. Two new features have been added to the facilities available to the public: two soundproof booths for making phone calls in complete privacy and two computer-assisted music (CAM) stations in the Music area.

To facilitate links with the public during the relocation to the Lumière, two new services have been created:

  • The Bpi Lumière app
    Download it from Google Play App Store or Apple App Store. It allows you to:
    – generate a QR code to access the Bpi
    – browse the calendar
    – access the catalog
    – explore ExplorezLaBpi…
  • ExplorezLaBpi, the new interactive map of collections and spaces
    Discover the library’s new spaces and find your way around, zoom in on specific areas, locate collections and documents… Try out the many features of the ExplorezLaBpi interactive map!

The Bpi offers:
• 1,500 seats in a space covering more than 8,000 m2
• 327,000 books
• Free Wi-Fi access
• 220 computer stations for accessing the internet, the catalog, the interactive map of the collections, and the Bpi’s music collection (via Tympan, also accessible on seven computer stations in the Music section)
• A photocopying, scanning, and printing service
• Two soundproof booths for making phone calls in complete privacy 
• 1,450 titles of journals, newspapers, and magazines, including 210 French and international daily newspapers and magazines
• 75 French and European newspapers and magazines, from the 17th century to the present day, on microfilm
• Over 6,300 comic books, albums, manga, and graphic novels 
• Nearly 500 physical and digital video games
• 25,000 music albums, 2,000 audiobooks, and 500 vinyl records to listen to on site on two turntables
• 3,000 films, including 2,781 documentaries and 199 animated films
• Over 1,000 online courses and tutorials for self-learning in all fields

Accessibility for people with disabilities

The Bpi offers cultural activities and services that are accessible to people with disabilities. Special attention is given to people with reading difficulties (visual impairments, dys disorders, etc.).

Dedicated workspaces

• 2nd floor: two booths with adapted computer equipment Information and reservations at the reception desk or by phone: 01 44 78 12 71

Accessible and adapted collections

• 2nd floor: an area with easy-to-read books
• 3rd floor | Self-study area: books for learning Braille or French sign language
The disability copyright exception allows you to obtain adapted digital books free of charge, subject to certain conditions: information available at the reception desk.

Services to better accommodate you

• Accessible restrooms are available on each level.
• A magnetic loop is installed at each information desk.
• Equipment available for loan at the reception desk or for self-service: height-adjustable tables, magnifying glasses, a video magnifier, cane seats, a wheelchair, etc.

Accessible cultural events and activities

• Tours in French Sign Language, lip reading, or descriptive reading
• Workshops on alternative ways to access reading
• Accessible meetings and events throughout the year

More information in the Disability and Accessibility section

The Lumière Building

The Bercy warehouses, where the Lumière Building and Bercy Village shopping center now stand, were once the stronghold of the French wine trade. In the 19th century, it was home to “the largest wine and spirits market in the world”: the Cour Saint-Émilion served as a huge warehouse and sales counter for wines that had been bottled nearby in Bercy. The beverages were transported by boat on the Seine directly from the Yonne, Burgundy, and Algeria, or by train via the Gare de Lyon from the south of France.

The building, designed by architect Henri La Fonta in 1993, was converted into offices in the early 2000s. Today, it is one of the first major Parisian real estate properties to have been successfully reinvented, thanks to its reversible design, which was conceived from the outset. It is now occupied by various companies, a Metro store, a few shops, and a business school (Kedge Business School).

Two wings, north (Garonne) and south (Seine), connected by a central atrium measuring 52,000 m² | 137,000 m² | 7 floors | 10 levels.

A new student and cultural environment

Lumière benefits from a rich cultural environment, with four university campuses, the Pierre-Mendès France Center in Tolbiac, INALCO and Grands Moulins in the 13th arrondissement, and the Nation campus in the 12th arrondissement, representing more than 50,000 students within a 20-minute walk of the Bpi.

The neighborhood also has half a dozen municipal libraries with over 200 seats and is home to the BnF (National Library of France) just across the Seine.

Check out the interactive map of the cultural environment of the Bpi Lumière.

Publié le 15/08/2025 - CC BY-SA 4.0