BAnQ Grande Bibliothéque

The Grande Bibliotheque is a contemporary-styled five-story building with over 4,000,000 works, including 1,140,000 books. There are 1300 reading armchairs, 850 study seats and carrels, and 350 computer stations and plenty of space to relax. There are also special exhibits and art shows to enjoy. A fantastic rainy-day or cold weather retreat, the national and universal collections are each housed in one of two Chambres de Bois ("wooden rooms"), a reference to Anne Hebert's novel Les Chambres de Bois. These multi-story areas are demarcated by walls of wooden slats, either allowing indirect natural light or blocking it according to the conservation needs of the collection. The slats are made of Quebec-grown yellow birch, the official tree of Quebec. A sculpture garden to the north of the building, divided into plots of which one will be developed with sculpture and landscape art each year.