Regular opening hours 

The National Library of Australia building, opens at 8.00am on weekdays and 9am on weekends. The building closes at 8pm Monday to Thursday and at 5pm on Fridays, weekends and public holidays. The Friends Lounge is open to Friends of the National Library of Australia during these hours.

The opening hours of Bookplate, the bookshop, the exhibition galleries and the reading rooms vary and are listed below.

Reading rooms

Day Opening hours
Monday to Thursday 10am to 8pm
Friday and Saturday* 10am to 5pm
Sunday* 1.30pm to 5pm
Special Collections and Petherick reading rooms are closed on Sundays
Public holidays Closed

*Collection requests are not delivered during evenings or on weekends. Check collection delivery times to make the most of your visit.

Treasures Gallery and Exhibition Gallery

Day Opening hours
Daily 9am to 5pm
Good Friday Closed
Christmas Day Closed

Bookshop

Day Opening hours
Daily 9am to 5pm
Good Friday Closed
Christmas Day Closed

Cafe

Bookplate

Day Opening hours
Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4pm
Weekends 9am to 4pm
Public holidays 9am to 3pm

Paperplate

Day Opening hours
Monday to Friday Closed
Weekends and public holidays Closed

Public holidays

The Library is closed on Good Friday and Christmas Day. Opening hours for all other public holidays are:

Location Opening hours
Reading rooms Closed
Treasures Gallery and Exhibitions Gallery 9am to 5pm
Bookshop 9am to 5pm
Bookplate cafe 9am to 3pm
Paperplate cafe Closed

Public holidays 2023

Note: Public holidays as observed in the Australian Capital Territory. When a public holiday falls on a weekend a subsequent or additional date may be observed.

Public Holiday Dates to be observed
New Year’s Day  Saturday 1 January 2023 and Monday 2 January 2023
Australia Day  Thursday 26 January 2023
Canberra Day  Monday 13 March 2023
Good Friday  Friday 7 April 2023
Easter Saturday  Saturday 8 April 2023
Easter Sunday Sunday 9 April 2023
Easter Monday  Monday 10 April 2023
ANZAC Day  Tuesday 25 April 2023
Reconciliation Day  Monday 29 May 2023
Sovereign's Birthday Monday 12 June 2023
Labour Day  Monday 2 October 2023
Christmas Day Monday 25 December 2023
Boxing Day  Tuesday 26 December 2023