Written by Mathias Ghyoot and Athina Pfeiffer (2025)

INtroduction

The National Library of Morocco is located in Rabat and dates from 1919. It is one of the biggest libraries in Morocco and holds a rich collection of rare books, periodicals, photographs, maps, reference books, and around 60,000 manuscripts.

Registration at the library is open Monday through Thursday from 9am to 1pm and Friday from 9am to 12pm. The Research Room and the General Reading Room are open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm, and Saturday from 9am to 2pm. The Manuscripts Section is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm. Although the library opens at 9am, we recommend that you arrive around 9:30-10am. The National Library is closed in August and on national and religious holidays, including the Mawlid.

Location: Google Maps

GOING THERE

The National Library’s main branch is on Avenue Ibn Khaldun in the neighborhood of Agdal, just a five min. walk from the tram stop at Bab Rouah. If you’re driving, you can park in the Library’s guarded lot.

GETTING IN

Before your visit, fill out the registration form and email it, along with a scanned ID photo, to preinscription@bnrm.ma. Be sure to include your full name and passport number in the email. You won’t necessarily get a reply, but it will come in handy later in the process.

When you arrive, enter through the main entrance and go to the registration desk next to the security gate. You’ll need to present a printed copy of your registration form, a photocopy of your passport, and a photocopy of your university affiliation. The registration fee for a research pass is 100 MAD (cash only). Once registered, you’ll receive a one-year researcher card that grants access to all of the library’s reading rooms and services. Keep it with you—you’ll need it to beep yourself in and out of the library and the different reading rooms.

You may bring your laptop, a notebook, and a bottle of water, but you’ll need to leave your bag in the cloakroom located next to the registration desk by the elevator. This is also where you’ll find the restrooms.

Finding your material

Manuscripts

The manuscript section is on the ground floor of the main building. After passing through the security gate, walk straight ahead and enter the room on your right, just before the research room (the last room in the hallway). A librarian will welcome you and get you set up on one of the computers. These computers give you access to an internal platform with high-quality PDFs of many of the National Library’s manuscripts. Keep in mind that you can only search by shelfmark. To find the right shelfmark, you can use the library’s printed manuscript catalog or their online catalog.

Books and Periodicals

All of the National Library’s books and periodicals have been catalogued online. In the searches for your material, do keep in mind noting both the shelfmark, title, author, and whether your material is accessible by self-service (disponiple) or kept in onsite storage (magasin). This will be important once you wish to order your material.

Ordering your material

Manuscripts

You can spend as much time as you like browsing manuscripts on the library’s platform and search as many shelfmarks as you want. Some manuscripts, however, may not have been digitized yet. If that is the case, just give the librarian the shelfmark and title of the manuscript. They’ll check whether a microfilm version exists, and if it does, you’ll be able to view it in the same room the following day.

As for the physical manuscripts, we’ve been told they’re generally off-limits. That said, in some cases, you might be able to make a case for access—for example, for purposes of codicological or paleographical research. If so, it’s a good idea to bring an official letter from your university, addressed to the director of the Manuscript Section.

Books

Should your material be readily accessible (disponible), head directly to the Main Reading Room. There, you’ll be free to search the stacks, including general reference works. However, should your material be kept in onsite storage (magasin), which is the case for most early or rare books and pamphlets, then head to the Research Room, located at the very end of the hall way pass the security gate. After beeping yourself in with your card, turn left and approach the staff at the desk. They’ll ask you to fill out a request form with the title, author, and shelfmark of the book in question. Please bear in mind that you are only allowed to order six books in the morning (9am to 12pm), and three more in the afternoon (12pm to 4:30pm). Once the librarian has fetched your material, you’re free to peruse it at one of the tables in the Researcher Room.

Periodicals

Periodicals are kept outside the main building of the National Library. To go there, ascend the large staircase next to the entrance of the main building and cross the small park. Follow the road on the left, and cross it once you reach the Muhammad V University. On the right of the university, you’ll find a building bearing the name al-Khizana al-ʿAmma. This is the original library building dating from 1926, which today holds the large collection of periodicals of the National Library. Once you’ve entered, approach the security guard in the lobby, and depose of your bag and your researcher card. Then, head directly to the Main Reading Room and approach the librarian sitting at the desk to your left. Here, you’ll need to fill out a request form with the shelfmark and title of your requested item. The librarian will then fetch the material for you and you’ll be able to look at it at one of the tables in the Main Reading Room. Once you’re done, return the materials to the librarian.

Ordering scans

Manuscripts

While browsing manuscripts on the computer, be sure to jot down the shelfmark and the PDF page numbers for any pages you’d like copies of. Keep in mind that the “pages” refer to the PDF’s numbering, not the manuscript’s original pagination. If you're requesting an electronic copy of microfilm, follow the manuscript pagination. If your manuscript has neither been digitized nor microfilmed, you can nonetheless ask for digital images (usually the five first pages, five pages in the middle, and the last five pages of the manuscript). It’s technically possible to request scans of an entire manuscript, but that’s not recommended if you’re ordering several manuscripts at once.

Once you’ve got your list ready, go to the librarian, who will give you a request form in duplicate and ask for a photocopy of your proof of university affiliation and of your passport. If you want images from more than one manuscript, let them know and they’ll walk you through how to fill out the form. You can choose to receive the images on a CD or by email. When the form is complete, it needs to be approved by the head of the manuscript section—so it’s best to submit your request before lunch and get back to the manuscript section after lunch. After approval, the librarian will return a copy of the form to you and direct you to the khizana notary to make payment. The fee is a flat 2 MAD per image, payable in cash. Try to bring exact change, since the notary doesn’t always have it. Once you’ve paid and handed over your copy of the request form, you’ll get a receipt, which you’ll need to bring back to the manuscript librarian. Don’t forget to take pictures of the signed request form and the receipt. Expect anywhere from two days to a week to receive your images. If you encounter a problem receiving your images, reach out to bnrm.num@gmail.com.

Books and Periodicals

We’re unsure about the official rules regarding reproductions of books and periodicals, but many local users openly used their phones to take pictures of the material.

Food and well-being

There’s no cafeteria in the library’s main building, but you can bring water into the reading rooms. There’s a cafe about a five min. walk away from the library. For lunch, you can do what the librarians do and bring a lunchpack, or head over to Boho Café, about a 15 min. walk from the library.

The library has free Wi-Fi and its rooms are spacious. Bathrooms are located in the lobby just before the security gate.