Research – Thomas Guignard photography

A street view of a historic building with arched windows next to a modern glass and stone structure. Three people sit on benches in the foreground while two others walk by the buildings.

Bibliothèque humaniste de Sélestat

Since 1889, the former granary of the Alsatian town of Sélestat holds a unique collection documenting a long humanist tradition.

A spacious, traditional library room with high vaulted wooden ceilings, large arched windows, wooden tables and chairs, bookshelves, chandeliers, and framed portraits on the walls.

Knox College Caven Library, Toronto

A prime example of Collegiate Gothic of the early 20th century, Toronto's Knox College is a favourite of students and film directors.

A spacious library interior with large arched windows, wooden floors, red bookshelves, a central information desk, a clock on the back wall, and several people reading or working at tables.

Bibliothèque d’étude et du patrimoine de Toulouse

Completed in 1935, the Art Déco Toulouse research library is a rare example of libraries built in France during the interwar period.

Large, modern library with rows of tables where many people are seated, studying or using laptops. Bookshelves are visible in the background. The ceiling has visible blue ducts and industrial lighting.

Bibliothèque Publique d’Information du Centre Pompidou

One of the world's most recognizable museums, Paris' Centre Pompidou is also home to the largest public library in the city.

Bibliothèque du Jardin botanique de Genève

The home of one of the world's foremost botanical collections, this library is also a landmark of Swiss modernist architecture.

A spacious library with wooden floors, rows of bookshelves filled with books, study tables with chairs, a ladder by the shelves, and a ceiling decorated with a baroque fresco.

Bibliothek der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften

For over 150 years, the library that saw the birth of higher education in Vienna laid all but forgotten, ending up as a table tennis court for policemen. A spectacular renovation brought it back to life.

A person walks through a brick-arched library with bookshelves filled with books on both sides and another section visible through an arched doorway.

Biblioteca Comunale degli Intronati di Siena

The Intronati library combines a modern public library with a priceless historical collection inside the former home of one of Europe's oldest universities.

A two-story modern building with large windows and a gray roof, surrounded by landscaped gardens and bushes. The text "l'ISDC" is written on the building.

Bibliothèque de l’Institut Suisse de Droit Comparé

A modest pavillon on the university of Lausanne campus hosts a renowned law collection.

A symmetrical courtyard with a central statue and fountain, surrounded by neatly trimmed trees, leads to a yellow two-story building with arched windows, a clock, and a gabled roof under a partly cloudy sky.

Biblioteca dell’Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio

Thanks to a generous donor, this palace once welcomed the sick and the poor and now hosts a major research library.

A symmetrical stone building with classical architectural features with a triangular roof line flanked by two turrets topped with decorative urns. It has tall windows and a wooden door and is surrounded by trees and a neatly trimmed hedge in the foreground.

Bibliothèque Solvay, Bruxelles

Once a neglected relic, now a carefully restored prize that's hard to get to, Brussel's Bibliothèque Solvay is an enigmatic jewel.

Interior of a library looking down from a mezzanine. The library has rows of bookshelves that end in a semicircular stone column. There are windows to the left, separated by half columns recalling those of the bookshelves.

RIBA Library, London

Named after Sir Banister Fletcher, the library of the Royal Institute of British Architects is among the world's largest dedicated to architecture.

Interior of a contemporary library. It is a symmetrical room surrounded by a mezzanine and with large work tables in the middle. A person is standing at the back.

Bibliothèque du Centre Canadien d’Architecture, Montréal

Combining modern elements with a respect for classical proportions, the design of the Canadian Centre for Architecture reflects its mission as an universal archive of the art.