Hogwarts Library

The Hogwarts Library is located at the fourth floor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and contains tens of thousands of books on thousands of shelves. Overseen by Madam Irma Pince, the library is where students can go to peruse or borrow books to supplement their studies (or for personal enjoyment). The library closes at 8 pm.

Security
The library books have various spells on them to prevent students from defacing or stealing them. Hermione Granger tore a page out of a library book about magical creatures without being cursed, jinxed or hexed by the book. How she did this is unknown. Chocolate and (presumably) other food is forbidden in the library.

Harry Potter also showed signs of breaking the security of the library in his first year when he entered the Restricted Section under his Invisibility Cloak.

Taking out Books
Students and teachers may take out books from the library, with the librarian’s permission. Books from the Restricted Section require a signed note from a teacher to be checked out. Professor Severus Snape told Harry Potter that it was against the rules to carry a library book out of the castle. He just made that rule up to get Harry into trouble. Students seem to be able to place books on hold – on the 1992/1993 school term the book Hogwarts: A History  had a two-week waiting list.

Professor Dumbledore removed the books pertaining to the subject of Horcruxes due to the fact that they involve such Dark Magic. He kept them in his office until his death when Hermione Granger summoned them before parting in her sixth year.

Sections
Included in its many sections are:


 * An Invisibility Section (wherein a browsing student will disappear);
 * A Dragon Section;
 * A Reference Section (which, according to Albus Dumbledore, covers counter-curses quite well);
 * A Restricted Section (contains books that explore Dark Magic, books of great antiquity and books of highly advanced magic).

Behind the scenes and different versions of the Hogwarts Library
In the PC/N64 Philosopher's Stone video game, the Library is rather larger and more labyrinthine than in the films, perhaps closer to what is implied in the books. There are study tables nestled throughout red-carpeted rooms criss-crossed and walled with full bookshelves, many of which are actually secret passages that Filch uses to travel between rooms quickly. Polished wooden catwalks overlook most rooms here, some with stained-glass windows, and the entire complex is housed in the lower section of the Astronomy Tower. If one continues up through the levels of the library, they will eventually gain access to the top of the tower, where Astronomy studies are conducted.

In the GCN/PS2/Xbox Chamber of Secrets video game, the regular area of the library is a massive, cathedral-like area of the castle, with arms two long arms stretching to the left and right of the entrance, each lined with bookshelves at least five stories high. Wooden balconies line each level, and books can be seen flying like birds from the large, round librarian's desk in the center of the room, up to the shelves where they each belong. There are also antechambers leading off from this area, up staircases from the main room, some locked or blocked in ways that require certain spells to unseal. These chambers are also lined with high shelves, and some are haunted by seemingly malevolent ghosts. A large cauldron of Wiggenweld Potion can be found bubbling in the Library, free for any student who needs a pick-me-up.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * The Tales of Beedle the Bard (real)