Written by Abigail Schoenfeld (2024)

INtroduction

The Mirza Fethali Akhundov National Library of Azerbaijan, named for the famed nineteenth-century author and dramatist, was founded in 1923 and recently celebrated its centennial. It houses over 4.5 million items ranging from books to journals, newspapers and other print media, and musical recordings. It is the main library of Azerbaijan and is one of the largest in the Caucasus. The majority of the library's material is in either Azerbaijani or Russian.

The library is open from 10am to 8pm every day except Mondays, but check regularly as the hours and working days change in summer.

Location: Google Maps

GOING THERE

The Azerbaijan National Library is centrally located on the northern edge of Sahil Baje. It is a 5 min. walk from the Sahil Metro Station and about a 10-15 min. walk from the 28 Mayes and Cefer Cabbarle Stations. It can also be reached by bus (lines 5, 10, 61, and 88) at the Rashid Behbudov Song Theater Stop.

GETTING IN

Upon arriving, you will be directed to a room on the ground floor in order to procure an access card. In order to do so, you will need your passport and another card-sized ID (a US driver's license or national ID card works). If you have any sort of proof of local affiliation or an invitation letter in Azerbaijani or Russian, that also helps. After you are issued a reader card, you'll return to the electronic entrance turnstiles and will be given a slip of paper stamped with the date and a number. Do not lose this slip! You will need it to order books as well as to exit the library at the end of your day. You can then go up the large staircase to the second floor, which houses the main circulation desk.

Finding your material

The library has a very good online card catalog which also includes a wealth of digitized materials. You can search in multiple languages, Azerbaijani and Russian being the most common and fruitful. Note that there is no public wifi, so it is easiest to use the library's computers to access the catalog.

Ordering your material

As you browse in the online catalog, you can add items to your portfolio by clicking the "Qovluja elave etmek" button without making an account. From there, you can email the list to yourself. If you don't have an account, you can ask one of the librarians sitting next to the circulation desk to order your selections for you. You will need the title, author, yerlesdiyi yer, düzülüs sifresi, and barkod for each material. The request is done by filling out paper forms in duplicate for each work, so it can take a little while. Once your forms are complete, you can turn them in to the circulation desk and they will have your books ready fairly quickly (usually no more than 20-30 min.). When you pick up the book itself, you will need to give the librarians the slip of paper you received upon entering the library, which they will re-stamp. If any of your requested books are in a special reading room, the circulation staff will instruct you about the next steps for accessing it.

Ordering scans

You can order paper photocopies and printouts of digitized materials for a small fee (charged by the page) from the photocopy room, which is located on the second floor. Payment is in cash only. Photographs are accepted in the main reading room on the second floor, but are not permitted in some of the smaller reading rooms used for special collections. You can always ask the reading room attendant, as the rules can be more flexible on a case-by-case basis.

Food and well-being

Food is not permitted inside the library, but there are many restaurants and cafes within a few minutes' walk of the building. There are restrooms located on the basement level, but you may want to bring your own tissues and soap/hand sanitizer. The library is not air-conditioned except for in a couple of the smaller special reading rooms.

Additional remarks

The library's card catalog is accessible from anywhere without a log-in, as are the digitized materials contained therein.