Chişinău (Moldova) - National Library

For my master's thesis, I had to do some research in Moldova's National Library in Chişinău. As expected, the procedure was a bit bureaucratic.

First I had to fill out a form to get a entrance permit card. The woman who had to write down the content of this form in the computer was apparently an analphabet, I had to tell her again every detail of the form. Then I got the permit for 10 Moldovan Lei.

At the entrance to the library itself, I had to show the permit at the entrance desk and got also a "user talon". To get the books I looked for, I first had to find their register cards in the endless rows of catalogues (as in the picture). Then I had to copy the content of the register cards (not only the signature, but also the "inventar number") on another talon which I then could deliver at one of the many desks, together with my entrance permit.

After 20 minutes, i could pick up the books at another desk, my permit was checked again and the book's code was written down on my user talon. When I brought it back, I got a stamp on my user talon and was now free to leave the library (not without having the delivered my user talon at the entrance desk, naturally).

Done