One of the early rooms you’ll reach in your Resident Evil 2 remake playthrough is the RPD Station’s Library. The Library technically has two separate levels on the station’s second and third floors along with its own room-specific puzzle. The puzzle in question bars access to one of the Library’s third-floor exits and, consequently, the station’s Clock Tower.
All it takes to solve the puzzle is finding one key item. However, as you’ll see in this guide, finding said item requires a little busywork.
Resident Evil 2 Library Puzzle Solution
The Library Puzzle involves moving a series of rolling bookshelves on the room’s lower floor (so the station’s second floor). By moving the shelves, players can create a “pathway” on the third floor that leads to the Clock Tower. However, one of the bookshelves is being held up by a mechanical jack and thus cannot be moved. To release the jack, the player must first find the jack handle item.
The room containing the jack handle can’t be accessed until you find a specific key. If you’re playing as Leon, that key is the Club Key, and for Claire it’s the Heart Key. You won’t find your respective character’s key until you work through the station’s underground area and parking garage. Once you make it back up to the police station, you can find the necessary key.
For Leon, the Club Key is located in the police station’s boiler room. Gaining access to the boiler room requires the crank item found in the underground area. As Claire, you can find the Heart Key in the Private Collections room near the police chief’s office. Technically the Heart Key is embedded in a photograph, but if you examine the photograph you’ll get the key.
With your respective character’s key in hand, your next stop is the Records Room on the station’s first floor. The Records Room has two entrances, one which requires the Club Key and another which needs the Heart Key. Inside the Records Room you’ll find the jack handle. Use the handle to lower the jack and you can move the Library’s bookshelves to access the Clock Tower.
For more Resident Evil 2 guide content, be sure to consult our weapons and enemy types guide. We also covered how to unlock the game’s 4th Survivor and Tofu Survivor bonus modes.