If you’re visiting outside these dates, please see our regular opening hours.

Reading Rooms

The Reading Rooms will closed from 5:00 pm on Thursday 24 December 2026 and reopen on Saturday 2 January 2027.

Collection deliveries will cease from 4:30pm on 24 December 2026 and will resume on 4 January 2027.  

Requests made on or after 17 December 2026 will be kept on the reading room reserve shelves until close of business on 10 January 2027.

Cafes

Catch up with friends and family over coffee, brunch or lunch at Bookplate. Sit inside to admire the Library’s famous Leonard French stained glass windows or sit outside on the terrace to enjoy scenic views of Lake Burley Griffin.  

Paperplate will be closed from 23 December 2026 and will reopen on Monday 11 January 2027. 

Bookshop

Find the perfect gift or pick up some summer reading among our broad range of Australian stories and gifts.  

The Bookshop will be closed on Christmas Day, but otherwise we’ll be open 9am to 5pm throughout the holiday period.

Galleries

Explore the decades-long, remarkable efforts of the Papunya community to record language and culture and keep it alive in Wangka Wakaṉutja: The Story of the Papunya Literature Production Centre in the Exhibition Gallery  

In the Treasures Gallery, find highlights from our physical and digital collection, including our new collection-in-focus display Regional Rivalries: Sport, spectacle and community in regional Australia.  

Library building

Volunteers

Friendly and knowledgeable volunteers will be running our Library tours at 11am throughout the holiday period, excluding Thursday 25 December 2026. These tours are free, but bookings are essential. Please note availability over this period is subject to change, with no less than one week’s notice.

Friends Lounge 

If you're a Friend of the Library, the Lounge is available during the Library's buisness hours. Visit the Opening hours page for more information.