Rare Books and Manuscripts Reading Room

The Rare Books and Manuscripts Reading Room is named after the bibliographer and writer Augusts Ģinters (1885–1944), who compiled and supervised the preparation and publication of the retrospective index of articles printed in Latvian periodicals “Latvian Science and Literature” (1926–1940).

Readers receive materials from the Rare Books and Manuscripts Collection by placing an order in the electronic catalogue or on site in the reading room. 

The collection materials are available to registered NLL readers. Printed works and other materials are intended for use only on site in the Rare Books and Manuscripts Reading Room.

The materials of the Baltic Central Library are mainly available in the Rare Books and Manuscripts Reading Room, however, for the purposes of preservation and accessibility of various materials, the cartographic materials of the Baltic Central Library holdings are stored and issued in the Map Reading Room (Level 6), while publications of a certain segment, mainly from the 20th century, are issued in the Lettonica and Baltic Reading Room.

The former rare books and manuscripts reading room, named after Aleksejs Apīnis (1928–2004), the founder and long-time head of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Department of the National Library of Latvia, a book historian, is located on Level 5, which currently houses the permanent exhibition "World of Rarities", which provides an insight into the work with rare books and manuscripts at the National Library of Latvia.

This room also serves the needs of various events, but specially made display cases are suitable for displaying temporary selections from the collection.