15 Libraries In Delhi That Call Out To The City's Rich Reading Culture

Delhi Public Library is free of charge, and houses up to 16 lakh books, across languages, including English, Hindi, Urdu and Sanskrit. All you have to do is carry proof of residency (voter ID, Ration card), to show you’re a Delhi resident. As for genres, expect competitive examination books, books pertaining to law, philosophy, religion, medical science, engineering, literature, and fiction.

If you do want to borrow, you’ll have to sign up to be a member at INR 100, after which you’ll be issued a borrower card.

Google Rating: 4.2

Price: Membership includes INR 100 annual fee + INR 200 monthly fee to avail the facility of self-study rooms

Timings: 8 AM to 6:45 PM from Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM on Sundays

Nearest Metro Station: Chandni Chowk, next to gate no. 2

The general public has free access to the library, in case you’re just looking for some quiet downtime. But, membership will entitle you to borrow up to six books, two back issues of periodicals and two DVDs. A member is also allowed access to library accounts online, to create search lists, renew material and place hold requests for material available. Membership is open to anyone over the age of 16, and you will require proper photo identification. As for borrowing, you can ask for loans online, in person and even request an interlibrary loan, from libraries in different states. Also, free Wi-Fi within the library! 

Google Rating: 4.2

Price: INR 400/year for an individual, families at INR 500/year and the institutional membership fee is INR 4,000/year. 

Timings: 11 am to 6 pm Tuesdays through Saturdays. 

Nearest Metro Station: Barakhamba, near gate no. 6 & 7

The British Council Library requires you to enroll as a member, which will entitle you to more than 85,000 online academic books and 14,000 e-journals online. Moreover, membership ensures you’re invited to workshops, seminars, and events. They have a plethora of membership plans, that differ in terms of validity, fees, borrowing rules and access. 

Google Rating: 4.2

Price: INR 2,500/year for individual membership, INR 4,500/year for family membership, INR 15,000/year for institutional membership

Timings: 10 AM to 6 PM, Monday to Saturday

Nearest Metro Station: Rajiv Chowk

The Habitat library is open only to members, and the staff isn’t very well equipped to guide you or provide any real, useful information. The library itself offers a range of resources, including newspapers, electronic newspapers, internet, multimedia, videos, music and books. Head to this library if you're looking for a quiet place to be able to get some work done. 

Google Rating: 4.6

Price: INR 6,000/year for ordinary members (people who are interested in culture and academics)

Timings: 10 AM to 8 PM, Monday to Sunday.

Nearest Metro Station: Jor Bagh

If you’re a manga fan, you’ve just found a fan club. This particular library is country-specific and provides reference services for the collection, and research info related to Japan, and international cultural exchange. You are entitled to borrow, use available multimedia tools and photocopy. Membership is open to all, provided you’re a Delhi/NCR resident. In case you only want to use the library for a day or two, ask for a daily membership card.

Google Rating: 4.4

Price: INR 300/year

Timings: 11 AM to 6:30 PM, Tuesday to Saturday

Nearest Metro Station: South Extension

At their nominal membership fee, don’t expect some grade-A service or information. Relatively well-stocked, they’re open seven days a week and will definitely deliver if you’re looking for an old-school library and some downtime. Lending is allowed, and a fine is charged if and when you lose the book. 

Price: Starting at INR 200/week and 1,000/year.

Timings: 9 AM to 8 PM from Monday to Friday. On Saturdays, it's open from 9 AM to 5:30 PM. In Winters (Nov-Feb), it's open from 9 AM to 7 PM

Nearest Metro Station: Lok Kalyan Marg

One of the most important and well-stocked libraries in the city is the Akademi Library. It has books in Hindi, English and 24 other languages that students, researchers and almost anyone can come and refer to. Apart from issuing books, they also have a photocopying and scanning facility, in case you need hard or soft copies of any information. They mainly focus on cultural and historical books that are related to the cultural and social history of the country. We hope you visit and take advantage of the privilege.

Google Rating: 4.5

Price:  INR 2,000/year (approximately).

Timings: 9:30 AM to 6 PM, Monday to Saturday

Nearest Metro Station: Mandi House 

The Central Secretariat Library has a large collection of books and documents. It is only second to the other national literary treasure that is in Calcutta. Most ministries and government departments take information from the library, but you too can become a casual member. It has a great stock of encyclopedias and dictionaries. Interestingly, they also have a set of microfilm US Govt. docs for those who like to keep up with politics.

Google Rating: 4.4

Price: For casual members - INR 100/month; for special members (eminent scholars, researchers and academicians) - INR 500; for a corporate membership (organisations) - INR 1500/year. No one else except these members is allowed to borrow books. However, a photocopying facility is available at the library, so you can get important pages (or even a whole book) photocopied.

Timings: 9 AM to 6:30 PM, Monday to Friday. Lending service is available till 6 PM from Monday to Friday. 9 AM to 5:30 PM on Saturdays for consultation only. 

Nearest Metro Station: Central Secretariat 

Established in 1921, it is a repository of books that are meant for research purposes, research scholars and other legislative members. It’s the second-largest library in the country and you can access it by completing the form that is present on the website. They also have a digital library that is in collaboration with other international journals and publications.

LBB- tip: The library is only accessible by Members of Parliament, Officers of the Secretariats and Research Scholars.

Google Rating: 4.6

Timings: 10 AM to 6 PM on all working days.

Nearest Metro Station: Central Secretariat

Established in 1902, the collection of books at the library is around 1,00,000, which consists of books, documents and journals. They have information on History, Archaeology, Anthropology, Architecture, Art, Epigraphy & Numismatics, Indology, Literature, Geology, etc. They also have a fantastic collection of rare books and artwork that you can’t generally see in galleries. It is only available for staff members of the ASI's Directorate General Headquarters and Students of the Institute of Archaeology

Google Rating: 4.1

Timings: 9:30 AM to 6 PM

Nearest Metro Station: Mandi House

The library here comprises books on design and art and all forms of the same. Ranging from graphic to paintings, from various ages, the NGMA library caters to all those interested in and/or learning art. The Art Reference and Documentation Centre subscribes to 32 art journals and magazines, take a look when you go visit.

Google Rating: 4.5

Price: Contact the library directly since anyone can access it for reference.

Timings: 11 AM to 6:30 PM from Tuesdays to Fridays. 11 AM to 8 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. 

Nearest Metro Station: Khan Market

Initially established in Lahore, DSPL was moved to our very own city by the Dyal Singh Trust Society. The library has a collection of 40,000 books, in the subject areas of literature, social sciences and the liberal arts. It subscribes to 100 different magazines and 32 different newspapers, so you can get your daily dose of culture and current affairs. The library also has audio and video equipment for those who need them. They also have an online library. 

Google Rating: 4.5

Price: INR 500 for lending membership and free of cost for reference membership.

Timings: 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday to Saturday

Nearest Metro Station: ITO

Established by renowned cartoonist Shankar Pillai, the library has a collection of 40,000 books, covering a variety of subjects that could be of interest to kids (especially science, art and culture, mythology etc). The library has an open-access system through which any child can gain membership. There are two kinds of membership: Normal and Special, and members are issued ID cards for future use. All kids between the ages of 5 and 18 can use the facility of this library. The admission fee is just INR 50 for 2 library tickets. Ah! We wish we were kids.

Google Rating: 4.9

Price: INR 150/year for ordinary membership (a refundable security deposit of INR 500 is required). INR 300/year for special membership (a refundable security deposit of INR 1000 is required)

Timings: 9:30 am to 5 pm, Tuesday to Sunday

Nearest Metro Station: ITO

Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, the then-Prime Minister, founded the Ramakrishna Mission Library in 1956. It houses works from a variety of subjects, including history, geography, arts, literature, social sciences, and many more. In addition, the library has a large collection of English and Hindi periodicals and journals. Members get access to free internet, printing and photocopying services, and book reservation privileges.

Google Rating: 4.6

Price: INR 1900/year (includes a refundable security deposit of INR 1000)

Timings: 8 AM to 8 PM, Tuesday to Sunday

Nearest Metro Station: Jhandewalan

Delhi is the hotbed of culture and has a number of international centers with events and exhibitions. Most of these centers also have libraries that are easily accessible. In fact, they are meant to be accessed by us common folk. We checked out Max Mueller Bhavan and Cervantes for you, and we recommend them as must-visits.

Pro tip: check out these online bookstores that you can order books from if you're still skeptical about stepping out.