BnF Archives et Manuscrits Bibliothèque nationale de France Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue

Overview

The BnF Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue (Archives et manuscrits) is the online finding aid and catalogue maintained by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) describing manuscripts, drawings, and archival collections held across several of the library's specialized departments. Available at archivesetmanuscrits.bnf.fr, the catalogue is an indispensable gateway to one of the world's most extensive manuscript and archival holdings, compiled over centuries by France's national library. The catalogue is available exclusively in French.

Scope of the Catalogue

The BnF Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue describes holdings from multiple BnF departments, including:

• Manuscripts Department (Département des manuscrits): The largest collection of medieval and modern manuscripts in the world, spanning approximately 5,000 Ancient Greek manuscripts and extensive Latin, Oriental, Hebrew, and French collections. These include medieval chansons de geste, literary manuscripts by Pascal, Diderot, Proust, Colette, Sartre, and others, as well as the Archives of the Bastille.
• Performing Arts (Arts du spectacle): Archival fonds of personalities (authors, directors, actors, costume and set designers) and entertainment institutions, including the Auguste Rondel collection, as well as correspondence, dramatic texts, and press clippings.
• Sound Archive (Phonothèque): The department's founding audio fonds — including the Archives de la Parole, the Musée de la Parole et du Geste, and the National Sound Archive — plus ethnomusicology, linguistics, and sociology collections.
• Artists' Books and Graphic Design: Archival collections of 20th–21st century artists' book publishers and graphic designers.
• BnF Institutional Archives: Records of the Bibliothèque nationale de France and its predecessor institutions from the 17th century, including the Bibliothèque royale et impériale.
• Coins, Medals and Antiquities: Fonds from researchers and institutions in numismatics and archaeology.

Significance for Journalism and Media Research

The catalogue provides access to archival records relevant to French press and media history, including correspondence fonds, literary manuscripts, and institutional records related to publishing and broadcasting. Holdings of the performing arts and sound archive departments contain materials documenting French radio history. Researchers can access descriptions of newspaper and periodical collections and related manuscript materials through links to the BnF's broader Gallica digital library platform.

Access and Usage

The catalogue is freely accessible online in French at archivesetmanuscrits.bnf.fr. It provides searchable descriptions of manuscripts and archival fonds at the holdings level, with links to digitized versions available through Gallica where applicable. Some materials described in the catalogue are also accessible in other BnF digital libraries including Europeana Regia and other collective portals. Physical access to holdings requires visiting the relevant BnF site; most manuscripts and archival collections are held at the Richelieu site in Paris.