The Bánffy Miklós Library is a public library with limited access, offering its services principally for the employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The primary scopes of collection in the library are diplomacy, history of diplomacy, international relations, political sciences, and the foreign policy of each country; the secondary scope of collection includes modern history, political economy, law, international law, languages, and dictionaries.
The Bánffy Miklós Special Library serves its readers with 70 thousand books and more than 80 foreign and Hungarian periodicals.
The library uses its own resources as well as external assistance for researching literature and particular subjects, supports the preparation of diplomats for their missions before travelling abroad, answers questions arising at foreign representations, and monitors the professional aspects of libraries maintained by the cultural institutes.
The specialized collection can be used locally for research with a permission from the head of the library. Requests for permissions are to be sent in writing via e-mail to konyvtar@mfa.gov.hu, specifying the precise subject of the research.