Reviews of BAnQ Grande Bibliothèque (Notary Public)

Barbara “Financial Tidbitter” Aboagye

This is a beautiful space to relax and work. It's open to the general public. To borrow books, you do need to have a card. There are enough working space and computers to work with. You can also have a space for your laptop. It's quiet and I do love the ambiance. There are a wide variety of books to choose from. There are video games which you can borrow as well as magazines and manga. The library has a wide variety of resources for kids and adults and all kinds of academic disciplines. There are elevators and easy to move from one floor to the other. The architecture is surely impressive!

喜相逢

It's a great place, lots of books, lots of classical music, lots of jazz CDs.

Amir

Best library that I've ever seen and experienced. Unlimited resources, books, music, games etc. Amazing service, friendly staff. Love their online service.

Dennie Nguyen

Most beautiful library and the staff there are helpful and kind. You need to visit at least once. They have a huge collections of all materials - every book that I've search up is always available to borrow. One of a kind library!

Jack Caldwell

I absolutely adore the Grande Bibliothèque in the great city of Montréal! I'm always down to go there, and I do once or twice a week.????

Gaby Zonana

Well maintained, clean , would definitely recommend as working spaces for students

Sun Yueru

The library and the staff went above and beyond in keeping the services accessible during the pandemic. They are incredibly responsive to general inquiries, and fast to adjust to COVID-specific restrictions, e.g. contactless pick-up. Kudos for keeping the library open and running!

Lorena

I used to go to this library during final exam season. It is quiet, clean, and the staff was always professional and prompt to assist

Vj Kam

This is a huge library with so much to offer to the public. I like that it has an indoor parking and the staff is very helpful.

Elí MuGu

Beautiful and modern library, in the center of Montreal. If you're interested in Canadian history, books or stories. Don't miss it.

Mohamed Alnadjar

You can find almost all books in this nice library

Imran Chowdhury

I don't think I have anything to add about this place it's as everyone said about it.It is a beautiful and fantastic library i don't think I have ever seen such a gigantic library before in my life.if you go in the alleyway right beside the library you'll find two small bookstores.which has diverse books of diferent languages.

Mithula Naik

Spacious, quiet, comfortable and has all the resources you will ever need in a library. The Café is really good too.

Sô Eau-claire

Love this library, so beautiful and big, you can find anything you want ! People are really nice too.

Cynthia Mah

Been coming here for years and it never disappoints! More than just books: DVDs, video games, comics, manga, and music. Accessible from the metro level too, which is a godsend in the winter.

anil kuldip

Great library, fast internet, good for studying but especially during exam time there is literally non space you can find that you can sit in except if you come like at 10 in the morning, there's like 2 little coffee shops, a lot of restaurants around, and it's connected to the Berri metro station.

Smiae

Amazing selection of books, movies, video games, and journals. There's a good amount of materials that you would normally require a university library for. I also recommend signing out a travel guide from the library before travelling instead of buying your own.

Alan Fregtman

It is Grande indeed! Such a beautiful, calm space to explore books and media. Being that it is a library books are to be expected, but I'm continually amazed by the incredible selection of non-book items like films, documentaries, series, cartoons, comics of all kinds and even video games... Hell, there is even board games for kids in the kids floor. How cool is that?! The staff are also very helpful. I love this place and everyone of all ages deserves to visit and make the most of it. ????

Osama Baig

This library is very well organized! I just wish they had a semi silent area for those that want to "Work from home" or be able to participate in work calls. Also monitors that can be plugged into laptops would be another great addition. Other than this the architecture was simply stunning. I really enjoyed the art museum on the top floor!

Steeven G (POPE)

There is archive here that just to read cost you a arm about the past of America. The outdoor is made of glass it is a amazing piece of architectural work. I could not went inside but I will be back and take picture for inside.

Pat Laugh

Great place and very accessible! However, there are 3 elevators, mostly used by lazy people, in practically constant use, making constant noise in most of the library (they had the ingenuity of putting them in the centre of the library), making reading quietly impossible in most of the library, really defeating a main purpose of a library. Either listen to music or walk far away from the elevators. They have many chairs and desk available -- you can still hear the noise, but it's less loud. The constant noise of the elevators is really a turn off for me, though. Why are people so lazy?? And why do they need THREE elevators, one somewhere discrete would've been well enough! And the door rings twice each time it opens, for even more noise! Because of this, I don't go study at this library, except when other, more quiet libraries are closed (like during the summer). Grande Bibliothèque maintains its long hours throughout the year. But, it is closed on Mondays (why??). Another annoyance: they make a global announcement about the children's place closing (why not just make the announcement there instead of throughout the whole library?). Also, on their online database, if it says a book is available, don't count on that, especially if it's a popular book! Books that not at their location (lost) are marked as available! So don't go expecting your book will be there! Incredible architecture, and beautiful place, but with serious fundamental flaws.

Austin Graff

This is a library close to the university. It's often open late and HUGE! There are plenty of spaces to read, study, or even connect (quietly) with a friend. The design itself is beautiful with many levels and opportunities for the natural light to shine through.

Derek Mahar

Happy that this library is fully open again to the public and that it is not very crowded.

Connie Dominguez

This library continues to offer outstanding service...even during these difficult times. I was happy to find it open and well-controlled.

Eran Goldstein

Amazing library, so many comic books video games, Novells movies board games, and actually EVERYTHING!

Animesh Ghose

I wish to have a living place inside this place!Such an amazing place with a hugeeee amount of collections! This place offers outstanding environment to study or work on your laptop or you can use the computer of the library. It is easy to get the book and read them there or you can borrow them for 21 days. The staffs are so friendly and efficient. Grab your coffee and go there for a day long experience!!

Sony Mathew

Must visit place in Montreal. Vast books of different genres and digital library too. You can peacefully read and refer books and journals. Entrance comes up with a information counter and service desk.

Tyler Crawley

Best library in the city. It's super easy to sign up and a LARGE selection of books. You can also find movies, music, computers and many study spots tucked away. Beautiful interior and very welcoming. The graphic novel section is particularly good.

Jo

I love this library. Lots of options for many things, even for video games, and the staff is very nice. It's a huge blessing this is a free service. And when you leave on vacation you can let them know and borrow things for much longer than usual. So handy.

Hans Villarpando

Is the best library in Montreal, all kind of books for every age, movies, music, games, etc

Alexander Peplowski

An amazing resource for Montrealers. Lends out physical and digital copies of both English and French books, guides, textbooks, comic books, video games, movies, journals, magazines. Also has desktop computers stations for personal use, study spaces, conference rooms and printing services.

Live Now

Full of dvd, game packs, board games, comfortable chairs, comic books and BOOKS. Amazing library!

Maey

This is a massive sprawling library with options in french, english, and to a lesser extent, other languages such as german and spanish. The staff are kind and patient. They don't speak much english (this is a french part of town, after all, with its closeness to UQAM) I have spent hours perusing the isles and reading. Its a marvel. Its what all libraries should be. And their top floor!!! Filled with movies, CD's, video games. THEY EVEN HAVE RECORDS!!!! And record players. They have music production studios you can RENT OUT! The bottom floor is the childrens area, filled with color and life. It's clean, with a beautiful modern design, without feeling cold or unwelcoming.

H Vaillancourt

Nice place, the architecture is amazing! The staff is always helpful and, if you speak French, there is a huge variety of books. However, the place is always crowded, sometimes it looks like a shopping mall and not a library. And if you are looking for books written in English... sigh... you are not at the right place. There are a few books in English but only old ones and no major work. I tried to find novels written by contemporary authors, but to no avail. The clerk told me that the target clientele of this library is French reading persons, even if it is the biggest library in the province.

Julien Mancilla

Absolute gem, big, spacious and very quiet for a library this size. It has to offer all you need in terms of books, music, attractions and even devices like ipad’s and laptops if you would be in need of one.

Anna Dowdall

Book lovers' heaven. A jewel in the crown of Montreal. The kind of place a writer like me goes to when I need to refresh my faith in public institutions.

Nusrat Jahan Neetu

A wide variety of books. Stuffs are really helpful. Liked the reading arrangement too. Highly recommended.

Lieven M

Anyone who lives in the City should absolutely visit this amazing masterpiece!! The architecture of this location inside and outside is gorgeous! The library has thousands of books of course, CDs, DVDs, and wait .. video games?!?! Yes it does. The investment into this location can be compared to those at major universities in the US. Si vous habitez MTL ou de passage, n’hésitez pas de visiter la Grande Bibliothèque! There’s a kids and toddlers space as well. You can literally borrow up to 25 books for up to 3 weeks ... wait what?!?! Alors abonnez-vous à BAnQ and enjoy this amazing ride!

daniel lucia

I’ve been coming to this place for 3 years now to do homework, job applications even to create a to do list. It doesn’t even feel like I’m at a traditional library. However, you are downtown so it’s distracting for me to get things done and it does take some motivation.

Sandy Nguyen

Absolutely gorgeous building! A very modern library if we talk about its architecture. The floor-to-ceiling windows allow natural sunlight to come through which add a homey vibe to it. However, I don't suggest you to study there since all floors are open and sounds resonate a lot (we can hear noise from the 1st floor all the way to the fourth floor) which can be distracting for people that needs silence. Nonetheless, great library!

Marcus loko

Excellent Library to find all the books you need and/or to study in a calm place.

Vile Meme

An excellent resource for research, with plenty of books, physical or numerical, magazines, newspapers and audiovisual content. There are some desks available for work and relatively comfortable seats for reading. You can also work in private rooms, which is useful for team projects. The library has plenty of computers available for use. However, my main annoyance with the library is the noise. The library tends to get crowded and the staff struggle to apply the rules. There are plenty of rude people who don't seem really concerned about silence which sometimes makes work or reading a pain in the ass. You also have the occasional homeless person sleeping in a chair. My suggestion? Borrow the things you need and work/read somewhere else.

Justin J.R.

Best library in town to study or just explore, friendly staff, and yay for the fact that it's air-conditioned during the summer and feels warm during the winter. Just confused about the reviews about the lack of English books...you're either not looking enough or you're just entitled lol. Would you expect a Francophone to go to Edmonton, Fredericton or Vancouver and complain about the lack of French books in the library? Would you go to Germany and complain about why public libraries have more books in German than in English? Make it make sense

Vg G

Largest Public library in Quebec with a large collection of books, cds, movies, maps, and other pertinent documents . Registration is free for Quebec residents.

John O'Meara

Selection is good and hours are decent. English library is limited and being closed on Monday is a little annoying, but it's fine otherwise

Rachel Green

i love libraries, and this one has it all...usually. Covid has reduced it's cosy seating and café hours (actually, I'm not sure if the café is currently open), but you can borrow all the books, CDs and DVDs you've always eanted to read, hear and watch. the spaces have optimal natural light and the staff is knowledgeable and helpful. it'll be back to 5 stars when all the services are reinstated.

Alex

While it's called the grand library and it's supposed to have a lot of different spaces and facilities, there are very few spaces for studying or reading the books. There isn't enough new book titles, movies and music, they're at least a couple of years old. I thought it would be better than my university library in most of the aspects, but it's simply not.

Nigel Peters

It was such a calm and reassuring library knowing that people are still reading in this modern technological age of Super computers and lightning fast internet. Plenty of books in case you are wondering- fantastic collection of books for every reader. There is a fast elevator to take you up and down the 4 floors. Saw a lot of staff around and quiet areas where you could work. Computers to for those who need then. It's free to enter so anyone can. Parking is available outside and is metered - what a blessing in Montreal. If you like reading go to this library.

Alex Su 1404B

It was negative 15 outside and my friend was late to pick me up, so I thought it would be acceptable to wait here until he finds his way around Montreal. (I am a university student from Ontario and not familiar with the area). I was quiet, and standing on a corner with no one around me. The security guard approached me and insisted that I have to leave without giving any reason and forced me to stand in the cold for 10 minutes.

Lucia Taddeo

Wonderful library with a vast selection of books from different categories in different languages. Large reference center. Computers available for individual use.