Use Georgia’s National Library catalogue and reading halls

Illustration: conceptual everyday-life artwork, not a view of this service.

To read an item at Georgia’s National Library, search the public catalogue, check its location, then register for a reader card before going to a hall. On 24 October 2026, the linked catalogue displayed “Catalog running in Test Mode,” so verify its current status before relying on availability information.

Search the public catalogue

Start from the library’s Catalogues page and choose the new interface. The page lists books, newspapers, journals, dissertations, sheet music and maps, and says records show location, call number and availability. Search by a useful title, author or subject. The old electronic catalogue is marked unupdated since 2015, so use the new or a listed specialist catalogue.

A catalogue entry helps you identify an item and where the library describes it as held. It does not by itself establish that an item is currently available for a visit or that a full text can be read online. The reading-halls page says library items and collection materials are available onsite in the reading halls, with a stated home-loan exception at the Wilhelm von Humboldt German Reading Hall. Check with that hall for its terms rather than assuming the exception applies to other materials.

Register before using the reading halls

The reader-registration page says citizens of Georgia and other countries aged 14 and over may register. It lists an ID card or passport as the required document and says registration and library services are free. Registration takes place in Building II, at 5 Gudiashvili Street, with the entrance from Anton Purtseladze Street. The page lists registration hours as 10:00–18:00 every day and says the reader card is valid for five years. Bring the card when entering and leaving the buildings.

Registration and reading-hall hours differ. The halls page lists 10:00–20:00 daily except public holidays. The registration rules require large bags, coats and umbrellas to go in the cloakroom, prohibit mobile-phone use in reading halls and require a librarian’s permission for personal printed materials and cameras. Recheck hours and the specific hall before travelling.

Match the item to a reading hall

The library lists specialist halls for periodicals, reference resources, music and audiovisual collections, and German literature. Compare the catalogue location with the reading-hall list. As checked on 24 October 2026, the Reading Halls page listed the Dimitri Khipiani, Sergi Meskhi and Ivane Machabeli halls in Building I as closed for reconstruction. Confirm current access before travelling.

• Check the record’s location and call number before travelling.
• Register in Building II with an ID card or passport if you do not already have a reader card.
• Plan around the separate registration-office and reading-hall hours.
• Read the current rules for the specific hall and collection you need.

Check the library’s current official name

Open the official catalogue directory

Open the linked catalogue interface

Check reader registration requirements

Check reading-hall rules and hours