A Reference Librarian or other staff member is on reference duty during office hours. Their primary responsibility is to meet the research and reference needs of the institutions, departments and offices of the Bahá'í World Centre. They also assist scholars and researchers whose use of the library has been approved by the Universal House of Justice. As time permits, reference staff may assist individual staff members of the Bahá'í World Centre who wish to do personal reading in the Library. The Library supplies information to Bahá'í World Centre institutions which may assist them in responding to questions posed in correspondence. However, the Library does not, as a general rule, undertake research on behalf of individuals, or of institutions outside the Bahá'í World Centre.

All materials in the Library are considered to be in closed stacks (i.e. accessible to Library staff only) except for general reference books such as encyclopedias, and general periodicals. Users may request materials by searching the on-line catalogue or requesting the material from the Reference staff. Browsing is not possible, except among the general reference books, newspapers and magazines in the Reference Area. It is therefore essential that the users become familiar with the aids for finding and requesting materials.