Libraries in France
France has more than 38,000 libraries (national, public, academic, school, special and community libraries, etc.):
– Three national libraries:
- The Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), in Paris, which performs all the functions expected of a national library, both nationally and internationally;
- The Bibliothèque publique d’information (Bpi), in Paris, a large library open to all, with certain research and cooperation missions;
- The Bibliothèque nationale et universitaire (BNU) in Strasbourg, a leading academic library and cultural institution.
– Around 16,500 public libraries: the vast majority of these are municipal libraries, managed and funded by each municipality or inter-municipality; 97 are departmental libraries, managed and funded by the “départements” and serving rural areas.
– 137 higher education and research libraries, managed by each university, group of universities or major scientific establishment;
– Around 12,000 documentation and information centres (CDI) in secondary schools.
– Libraries in major institutions (National Assembly, Senate, etc.);
– Libraries in hospitals and prisons;
– Libraries run by associations.
The newly published by the Ministry of Culture in February 2024, Atlas des bibliothèques territoriales is a multi-approach presentation of libraries managed by local authorities, offering extensive cartographic information.
At the national level, several ministries play an important role in certain libraries, providing guidance on missions, scientific and technical supervision, and financial support. In some cases, they also collect and publish national statistics. These ministries include the Ministry of Culture, which oversees two national libraries and public libraries; the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, responsible for university libraries; and the Ministry of Education, which manages school libraries.
The legislative and regulatory framework governing the missions and operation of libraries is composed of texts as diverse as the types of libraries themselves, but the most important are:
- For public libraries, law 2021-1717 of 21 December 2021, which defines libraries, their fundamental principles and missions, as well as the means for developing reading.
- For public libraries and national libraries, the French Heritage Code.
- For university libraries, Law 68-978 of 12 November 1968 on the orientation of higher education, Law 84-52 of 26 January 1984 on higher education, Decree 2011-996 of 23 August 2011 on libraries and other documentation structures.
- For copyright, its exceptions and limitations, the French Intellectual Property Code.
- For legal deposit, the French Heritage Code.
There are currently several national directions for libraries, supported by plans and, in some cases, funding granted by the relevant ministries:
- For all types of libraries: digitisation of collections, development of access to digital resources, media and information literacy, libraries, and sustainable development goals.
- For public libraries, extension of opening hours, accessibility for people with disabilities, search for equity, diversity, and inclusion in terms of collections and reception of the public, development of libraries in rural areas.
- For university libraries, development of national licenses for access to electronic resources and Open Science
- For school libraries, training students in information literacy.
Training for librarians is provided:
- At the national level, by the École nationale des Chartes (ENC), the École nationale supérieure des sciences de l’information et des bibliothèques (Enssib), the Institut national des études territoriales (INET), the Institut national des techniques documentaires (INTD) and a private body, the École des bibliothécaires documentalistes (EBD).
- In the regions, by the 12 Centres régionaux de formation aux carrières des bibliothèques (CRFCB), each part of a university.
- Other training courses, at BUT (Bachelor of Technology), license and master’s level, are offered by some universities.
There are numerous library associations in France: more than 20 with a national focus of area and action, plus those with a regional or local scope. This abundance is both a strength (ensuring that no type of library, no function is overlooked) and a weakness (scattered strengths and priorities for advocacy and action). Nevertheless, some of the largest associations manage to collaborate on important issues.
Library data
Contextual data
Population
Population Growth
Proportion of Population Younger than 15
Proportion of Population Older than 64
Population Density
people per sq km
Population Growth
Access to Electricity
Internet Users
Female Internet Users
Male Internet Users
GDP per capita
Poverty Rate
2011 PPP
Inequality
2011 PPP
Unemployment
Inactive Youth
2011 PPP
Education Spending
% of GDP
Adult Literacy Rate
% of people age 15+
Female Adult Literacy
% of GDP
Male Adult Literacy
% of people age 15+
Female Youth Literacy
% of GDP
Male Youth Literacy
% of people age 15+
Research Spending
% of GDP
Researchers
% of GDP
Research Spending
% of GDP
Library data
|
Library type |
Total |
National |
Academic |
Public |
Community |
School |
Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Libraries (Service Points)
28,117
Library service point is a fixed or mobile facility through which library provides a service to its users. Central libraries, branch libraries, mobile libraries, and external service points located in different geographical locations and managed by one administrative unit are all each individual service points. Number of libraries is the total number of central/main libraries, branch libraries, external service points and mobile libraries. |
28,117 2024 |
3 2024 |
1,000 2023 |
15,500 2024 |
— |
11,614 2024 |
— |
|
Main Libraries
16,503
Central/main library is usually part or those parts of an administrative unit where the main administrative functions and the important parts of the library collection and services are located. An administrative unit comprising several branch libraries does not necessarily include a central library. |
16,503 2024 |
3 2024 |
1,000 2023 |
15,500 2024 |
— |
— |
— |
|
Branch Libraries
8,399
Branch library is a part of a larger administrative unit providing, in separate quarters, a service for a particular user group (e.g. children, faculties) or for a locally defined clientele. Institute, departmental and other affiliated libraries are included. Mobile libraries and external service points are excluded. |
8,399 2016 |
— |
— |
8,399 2016 |
— |
— |
— |
|
External Service Points
—
External service point is a point away from library premises at which a certain service is regularly offered to users. This includes places within a locality at which library material is deposited for informal circulation to a restricted group of users but without other library services, for example, old people’s homes, community centres, collections for hospital patients. Mobile libraries and their stops are not counted as external service points. |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
Mobile Libraries
—
Mobile library is a library, sometimes a division of a public library, using transport means to provide documents and services directly to users as an alternative to access on library premises. |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
Libraries (Administrative Units)
28,117
Administrative unit is any independent library, or group of libraries, under a single directorate or a single administration. The term “independent” does not imply legal or financial independence but only that the library is a recognisably separate unit, typically within a larger organisation. The administrative unit can be a single library or a larger organisation, typically containing a central/main library, branch libraries and administrative functions. |
28,117 2024 |
3 2024 |
1,000 2023 |
15,500 2024 |
— |
11,614 2024 |
— |
|
Libraries with Internet Access
9,362
Libraries (Service Points) that provides internet access from at least one workstation available to the public regardless of whether access is free, and/or provides a wireless network allowing users to connect to the Internet. |
9,362 2024 |
3 2024 |
1,000 2023 |
8,359 2024 |
— |
— |
— |
|
Full-Time Staff
46,217
Full-time equivalent (FTE) staff are all library employees who work for the library in return for payment. It includes professional staff, qualified staff, project staff and assistants. Other staff (library employees who work in security and on domestic duties, for example, cleaners, porters, caretakers and catering staff) and volunteers are excluded. |
46,217 2024 |
2,619 2024 |
7,019 2023 |
36,579 2024 |
— |
— |
— |
|
Volunteers
74,961
Volunteer is a person working on library tasks without payment. In counting volunteers, the concept of headcount is used. |
74,961 2024 |
— |
3,745 2023 |
71,216 2024 |
— |
— |
— |
|
Registered Users
10.1 M
Registered user is a person or organisation registered with a library in order to use its collection and/or services within or away from the library. Users may be registered upon their request or automatically when enrolling in the institutions. |
10,080,570 2024 |
70,349 2018 |
1,123,734 2010 |
8,886,487 2024 |
— |
— |
— |
|
Physical Visits
163.9 M
Physical visit is a person (individual) entering the library premises. |
163,932,999 2024 |
3,584,574 2024 |
66,537,681 2023 |
93,810,744 2024 |
— |
— |
— |
|
Physical Loans
297.5 M
Physical loan is a direct lending or delivery transaction of an item in physical form. Physical loans include loans of items in non-electronic form (e.g. books) and loans electronic documents on a physical carrier (e.g. CD-ROM). |
297,526,344 2024 |
— |
6,297,347 2023 |
291,228,997 2024 |
— |
— |
— |
|
eBook Loans
199.7 M
eBook is a non-serial digital document, licenced or not, where searchable text is prevalent, and similar to a print book (monograph). eBooks can be lent to users either on portable devices (eBook readers) or by transmitting the contents to the user’s PC or other device for a limited time period. |
199,700,000 2014 |
— |
— |
199,700,000 2014 |
— |
— |
— |
|
Audio Book Loans
—
Audio book (or talking book) is a sound recording of readings of a book, magazine, or newspaper, usually designed for use by visually impaired people. Audio books can be lent to users either on a physical carrier or other device, or by transmitting the content to the user’s PC or other device for a limited time period. |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
Downloads
—
Download is a content unit that is successfully requested from a library-provided online service or other internet service (e.g. database, electronic serial or digital document). |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Contextual data
|
Population |
France |
Region |
World |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Population Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates. |
68,551,653 2024 |
928,263,208 2024 |
8,141,808,945 2024 |
|
Proportion of Population Younger than 15 Age dependency ratio, young, is the ratio of younger dependents--people younger than 15--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population. |
26.9% 2024 |
27.0% 2024 |
38.0% 2024 |
|
Proportion of Population Older than 64 Age dependency ratio, old, is the ratio of older dependents--people older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population. |
36.1% 2024 |
28.1% 2024 |
15.7% 2024 |
|
Population Growth Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. |
0.3% 2024 |
0 2024 |
1.0% 2024 |
|
Population Density Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes. |
126.9% 2023 |
33.7% 2022 |
61.6% 2022 |
|
Urban Population Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division. |
78.8% 2024 |
74.0% 2024 |
57.6% 2024 |
|
Information Infrastructure |
France |
Region |
World |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet Users Internet users are individuals who have used the Internet (from any location) in the last 3 months. The Internet can be used via a computer, mobile phone, personal digital assistant, games machine, digital TV etc. |
88.7% 2024 |
90.9% 2024 |
71.2% 2024 |
|
Female Internet Users This indicator refers to female individuals who have used the Internet (from any location) in the last 3 months. The Internet can be used via a computer, mobile phone, personal digital assistant, games machine, digital TV etc. |
86.3% 2023 |
90.0% 2024 |
68.2% 2024 |
|
Male Internet Users This indicator refers to male individuals who have used the Internet (from any location) in the last 3 months. The Internet can be used via a computer, mobile phone, personal digital assistant, games machine, digital TV etc. |
- |
90.0% |
- |
|
Access to Electricity Access to electricity is the percentage of population with access to electricity. Electrification data are collected from industry, national surveys and international sources. |
100.0% 2023 |
100.0% 2023 |
91.6% 2023 |
|
Economy, Poverty, and Employment |
France |
Region |
World |
|---|---|---|---|
|
GDP per Capita This indicator provides values for gross domestic product (GDP) expressed in current international dollars, converted by purchasing power parities (PPPs). PPPs account for the different price levels across countries and thus PPP-based comparisons of economic output are more appropriate for comparing the output of economies and the average material well-being of their inhabitants than exchange-rate based comparisons. Gross domestic product is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period. It can be measured in three different ways: using either the expenditure approach, the income approach, or the production approach. This series has been linked to produce a consistent time series to counteract breaks in series over time due to changes in base years, source data and methodologies. Thus, it may not be comparable with other national accounts series in the database for historical years. The core indicator has been divided by the general population to achieve a per capita estimate. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. The PPP conversion factor is a currency conversion factor and a spatial price deflator. PPPs convert different currencies to a common currency and, in the process of conversion, equalize their purchasing power by eliminating the differences in price levels between countries, thereby allowing volume or output comparisons of GDP and its expenditure components. |
61,290 2024 |
51,720.6 2024 |
24,405 2024 |
|
Poverty Rate Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $3.00 a day at 2021 purchasing power adjusted prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions. |
0.1% 2023 |
0.5% 2024 |
10.3% 2024 |
|
Inequality Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or, in some cases, consumption expenditure) among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Lorenz curve plots the cumulative percentages of total income received against the cumulative number of recipients, starting with the poorest individual or household. The Gini index measures the area between the Lorenz curve and a hypothetical line of absolute equality, expressed as a percentage of the maximum area under the line. Thus a Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality. |
31.8% 2023 |
0.0% |
- |
|
Unemployment Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country. |
7.4% 2024 |
5.3% 2024 |
6.2% 2021 |
|
Inactive Youth The share of youth not in education, employment or training (also known as “the NEET rate”) conveys the number of young persons not in education, employment or training as a percentage of the total youth population. Youth not in education are those who were neither enrolled in school nor in a formal training program (e.g. vocational training). For the purposes of this indicator, youth is defined as all persons between the ages of 15 and 24 (inclusive). percentage of youth population |
10.7% 2024 |
11.7% 2024 |
- |
|
Education and Literacy |
France |
Region |
World |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Education Spending General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments. percentage of GDP |
5.3% 2022 |
4.6% 2022 |
3.5% 2023 |
|
Adult Literacy Rate Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life. percentage of people ages 15 and above |
- |
4.6% 2022 |
87.7% 2024 |
|
Female Adult Literacy Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life. percentage of females ages 15 and above |
- |
98.5% 2024 |
84.6% 2024 |
|
Male Adult Literacy Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life. percentage of males ages 15 and above |
- |
99.1% 2023 |
90.9% 2024 |
|
Female Youth Literacy Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life. percentage of females ages 15-24 |
- |
99.8% 2023 |
92.0% 2024 |
|
Male Youth Literacy Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life. percentage of males ages 15-24 |
- |
99.8% 2023 |
94.1% 2024 |
|
Research and Innovation |
France |
Region |
World |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Research Spending Gross domestic expenditures on research and development (R&D), expressed as a percent of GDP. They include both capital and current expenditures in the four main sectors: Business enterprise, Government, Higher education and Private non-profit. R&D covers basic research, applied research, and experimental development. percentage of GDP |
2.2% 2022 |
2.0% 2022 |
2.7% 2022 |
|
Researchers The number of researchers engaged in Research &Development (R&D), expressed as per million. Researchers are professionals who conduct research and improve or develop concepts, theories, models techniques instrumentation, software of operational methods. R&D covers basic research, applied research, and experimental development. per million people |
5,182 2022 |
3,466.1 2022 |
1,516 2018 |
|
Scientific Articles Article counts refer to publications from a selection of conference proceedings and peer-reviewed journals from Scopus in science and engineering fields, according to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Taxonomy of Disciplines. fractional count |
65,888 2022 |
913,901.4 2022 |
3,338,192 2022 |
National Library Associations
Association of Departmental Librarians / Association des bibliothécaires départementaux (ABD)
Through an annual congress, the association promotes exchanges and reflection between departmental libraries.
French Librarians Association / Association des bibliothécaires français (ABF)
ABF is open to all but brings together a majority of librarians working in public libraries. It is organised in regional groups and commissions, publishes a journal and organises an annual conference.
Association for the cooperation of music information professionals / Association pour la coopération des professionnels de l’information musicale (ACIM)
ACIM’s aim is to promote the dissemination of music documentation everywhere, especially in libraries and public institutions, and to take part in all forms of cooperation between organisations responsible for collecting, processing, preserving and disseminating music documentation.
Association of Directors of Municipal and Intercommunal Libraries of the Major Cities of France / Association des directrices et directeurs des bibliothèques municipales et groupements intercommunaux des villes de France (ADBGV)
Association of Directors of Municipal and Intercommunal Libraries of the Major Cities of France
Association of Directors and Senior Staff of University Libraries / Association française des directeurs et personnels de direction des bibliothèques universitaires et de la documentation (ADBU)
ADBU brings together management staff with documentary responsibilities in an institution with activities related to higher education, public research and the training of documentation professionals. ADBS is in regular contact with the Ministry of Higher Education and has five commissions: steering, pedagogy, professions, research and digital.
Association of international French-speaking librarians and documentalists / Association internationale francophone des bibliothécaires et documentalistes (AIFBD)
Headquartered in Paris, the AIFBD is an international association dedicated to the networking of French-speaking librarians and documentalists, and to promoting them in their professional environment.
Association of national education documentalist teachers / Association des professeurs documentalistes de l'éducation nationale (APDEN)
APDEN brings together librarians in secondary schools and higher education.
BiblioPat
BiblioPat is an association whose aim is to promote the dissemination of information relating to the management of heritage collections in libraries.
Libraries without borders / Bibliothèques sans frontières (BSF)
BNF empowers vulnerable populations in foreign countries by facilitating their access to education, culture and information.
French International Committee for Libraries and Documentation / Comité français international bibliothèques et documentation (CFIBD)
CFIBD brings together other associations, institutions and professionals involved internationally. It encourages, through scholarships, professionals to attend international meetings and organises events in France around personalities from the world of libraries.
Interregional Federation of Books and Reading / Fédération interrégionale pour le livre et la lecture (FILL)
FILL brings together the regional book agencies whose mission is to support all the players in the book sector in a region through training, projects, professional meetings and support in applying for subsidies.
Its missions are:
– to promote regional book and reading policies at national level,
– to encourage and enrich dialogue between elected representatives responsible for culture, the cultural departments of the Regions, Departments and the State, national institutions, cultural bodies and all professionals in the sector,
– to stimulate and lead the debate on access to books and reading by proposing pragmatic and innovative solutions,
– to unite the players in the sector.
It brings together the regional book agencies which provide training, projects, publications, professional meetings and support in applying for subsidies.
Images in libraries / Images en bibliothèques (IB)
IB supports professionals, provides training, organises study days, produces resources, organises Documentary Film Month, manages a film selection committee and runs the Cinémathèque du documentaire network.
Association of Information and Documentation Professionals / Association des professionnels de l’information et de la documentation (ADBS)
ADBS brings together fifteen professional sectors in a Sector Council, nineteen regional groups in a Council of Regions and six commissions and working groups. A large proportion of its members come from the private sector.
National Library
The National Library of France / La Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)
Heiress to the royal library existing since the Middle Ages, the BnF collects, preserves, enriches and ensures on-site and remote access to the national documentary heritage and foreign collections, according to its missions and operating rules defined in articles R341-1 to R341-21 of the Heritage Code / Code du patrimoine.
It collects the legal deposit of all types of documents published in France and produces the national bibliography. It manages the main digital library in the country, “Gallica“, and operates the Catalogue collectif de France (CCFr). It is the major player in library cooperation on a national and international scale. It conducts numerous research projects and offers an important cultural programme.
The BnF also has a mission of cooperation and support for libraries in the field of conservation, bibliographic description and digitisation.
The Public Information Library / La Bibliothèque publique d’information (Bpi)
The missions of the Bpi are defined in its founding decree n°76-82 of January 27, 1976 updated by decree no. 2020-195 of 4 March 2020 – defined in the Heritage Code/Code du patrimoine Articles R 342-1 à R 342-16.
The Bibliothèque publique d’information is a national library. Its mission is:
“a) To enrich, conserve and make available to the general public, free of charge and as far as possible with free access, a constantly updated selection of French and foreign collections of general information and current affairs documents;
“b) To cooperate with French and foreign libraries and cultural establishments, and to carry out research programmes in the field of librarianship and reading;
“c) To encourage cooperation between public libraries;
“d) To offer a range of activities and mediation in the field of culture and the arts, in coordination with the programming of the Centre national d’art et de culture Georges Pompidou.
This library has the mission to cooperate with public libraries in France in order to promote exchange, reflection and the sharing of good practices. The national cooperation projects cover digital resources, disability, media and information literacy, question and answer services, documentary films and studies in the field of libraries. More information: https://pro.bpi.fr/qui-sommes-nous/
The National and University Library / La Bibliothèque nationale et universitaire (Bnu)
Founded in 1871 and currently governed by the decree n°2020-1166, the Bnu is located in Strasbourg, Alsace. Among the main libraries in France with nearly 4M items, it is a heritage, academic and research library in the fields of Human and Social Sciences under the Ministry for Higher Education and Research. It cooperates with other academic libraries in the Alsace Region and in France, and has many international cooperations. Open to the large public, it offers a wide programme of cultural events.
Policy Making Institutions
Ministry of Culture / Ministère de la Culture
The ministry is responsible for national libraries and public libraries operated by local and regional authorities. The responsible unit is the Directorate General of Media and Cultural Industries (DGMIC), specifically the Book and Reading Service, Library Department.
Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation / Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche et de l’Innovation
The ministry is responsible for academic and research libraries. Responsible units are the Common services of the Directorate-General for Higher Education and Professional Integration (DGSIP) and the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DGRI), Service for the Coordination of Higher Education and Research Strategies, Department of Scientific and Technical Information and Documentary Network.
Ministry of National Education / Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche et de l’Innovation
The ministry is responsible for school libraries and documentation and information centres. The responsible units are the Directorate General for School Education (DGSCO) and the Inspectorate General of Education, Sport and Research, College Educational Institutions, Territories and Policies.
Ministry of Justice / Ministère de la Justice
The ministry is responsible for prison libraries. More information: https://lecture-justice.org/
Ministry of Solidarity and Health / Ministère du travail, de la santé, des solidarités et des familles
The ministry is responsible for hospital libraries. More information: https://etablissements-sante-livrelecture.org/
Ministry of Agriculture / Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Solidarité alimentaire
The ministry is resonsible documentation and information centers of agricultural educational institutions. The unit responsible for the network of CDIs in agricultural secondary schools is Renadoc.
Library Support Organisations
Bibliographic Agency for Higher Education / Agence bibliographique de l’enseignement supérieur (ABES)
Created in 1994 to implement the Sudoc (Union catalogue of France’s academic libraries) and to manage the national cataloguing network (collections of 3000 member libraries which represents 13 million bibliographic records), ABES plays a leading role in French Higher Education and Research information system. It is also in charge of identification of all PhD Theses supported in France and offers several national databases to improve access to specific resources.
The organisation contributes to Open Science development by working in innovative international projects in the aim of improving availability and interoperability of academic libraries metadata.
Couperin / Le consortium Couperin
The Couperin Consortium is a non-profit association of French higher education and research establishments that aims to develop access to scientific and technical information for the scientific community.
Created in 1999, Couperin counts, in 2023, 260 members. It is financed by its members and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research.
Its main activity is to identify the needs of its members in terms of electronic resources, and to negotiate and organise the purchase of digital documentary products at the best price for the benefit of its members.
It contributes to the development of Open Science.
ISTEX / Le socle de la bibliothèque scientifique numérique nationale
With more than 27 million scientific publications spanning 700 years and covering all disciplines, Istex is the largest repository of standardised scientific archives serving French research. Its unique feature is that it is technically and legally compatible with text mining and analysis.
The Istex database brings together multilingual (but mainly in English) and multidisciplinary retrospective collections of the world’s scientific literature, resulting from negotiations with 30 electronic publishers.
National Book Centre / Centre national du livre (CNL)
A public institution under the Ministry of Culture, the Centre national du livre is France’s leading supporter of books and reading. Its mission is to encourage the creation and distribution of quality works through a wide range of support schemes for those involved in the book chain (authors, publishers, booksellers, libraries, organisers of literary events) and to promote the development of reading among all audiences.
Persée
Established in 2003, Persée is a research and support unit, attached to the École nationale supérieure (ENS) and the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), and supported by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. Its main mission is to develop documentary heritage for the benefit of research by ensuring its dissemination, enrichment and preservation.
The Persée portal brings together complete collections of journals, conference proceedings, series and books. It now hosts almost 400 collections, representing more than one million documents, with new titles added regularly.
Technical Centre for Higher Education / Centre technique du livre de l’enseignement supérieur (CTLes)
The Centre technique du livre de l’enseignement supérieur (CTLes) is a depository for low-use higher-education and research library print collections in the Paris metropolitan area created in 1994.
The facility offers proper safekeeping and preservation conditions. A daily CTLes shuttle delivers requested documents to Paris libraries. Alternatively, interlibrary loans are provided by postal service. The holdings are divided into three groups: transfers, deposits, temporary storage.
In addition to this first mission, the CTLes has a leading role in the cooperative preservation management of journals collections in higher education institutions. It provides support to the growing number of cooperative preservation programs.
National Policy for Libraries
Decentralised global allocation / Dotation globale décentralisée
The decentralised global allocation allows financial support for various projects carried out by libraries: construction, renovation, acquisition, extension of opening hours.
Digital Reference Libraries / Le label BNR, Bibliothèques numériques de référence
The Digital Reference Libraries label provides financial support and assistance for library projects related to digital technology (digitisation, digital inclusion, etc.).
Libraries and accessibility / Bibliothèques et accessibilité
A set of measures and actions to enable libraries to better serve all individuals with disabilities.
Plan Bibliothèque: “Opening more” and “Offering more” / Plan Bibliothèque : "ouvrir plus, offrir plus"
Opening libraries up more, but also offering more services: these are the two main thrusts of the Libraries Plan, shared by the Ministry of Culture, local authorities and professionals, with the same objective: to modernise libraries and strengthen their role in the regions.
Three priorities can be listed :
– Priority 1: Libraries as attractive and welcoming places: renovating, modernising and creating better connect spaces;
– Priority 2: Libraries as a local public service: supporting the work of departmental policies and encouraging the sharing of libraries with other public services;
– Priority 3: Libraries as agents of social inclusion: promoting digital inclusion and social initiatives.
Territory Reading Contracts / Les Contrats Territoire Lecture
Territory Reading Contracts represent a financial support system for cooperation projects at local level to promote the development of reading.
Culture and Justice / Culture et justice
An agreement between the Ministries of Culture and Justice dedicated to the development of projects promoting access to books and reading in prisons.
Libraries plan / Plan bibliothèques
Ministry of higher education and research: “Library Renewal Plan” (2010-2013) and “Open Libraries + plan” (since 2016)
Launched in 2010, the purpose of this plan is to improve the services offered to students. The main priority in the short term is a massive extension of the university libraries opening hours. Since 2007, there has been investment in immovable property to build or to rehabilitate university libraries. Beyond that, this plan aims at improving the services where it’s necessary for students and researchers: opening hours, digital access to documentation, a better integration of documentary policy in the institution strategy and more functional libraries.
National licences / Licences nationales
National licences grant an access to electronic resources natives or digitalised resources, available to a large community under uniform conditions. The idea is to ensure a fair access to documentation for students, teachers-researchers and researchers across all French institutions. The programme focuses only on closed corpus: academic journals archives, eBooks’ collections, digitalised texts corpus. The website licencenationales.fr is a showcase for all the programmes related.
Library Law
Loi Faure of 1968
Many laws and regulations govern the operation of libraries in higher education and research. In combination with the Loi Savary of 1984, Loi Faure set out the framework for the organisation of university libraries, shared documentation services and cooperation between institutions. Their mission is to “disseminate culture and scientific and technical information”.
The creation of joint documentation services is not a legal requirement, but most universities have already set up such services. The decree of 4 July 1985 on the documentation services of higher education establishments under the authority of the Minister for National Education provides a precise definition of the difference between integrated and associated libraries.
Decree no. 2011-996 of 23 August 2011 on the libraries and other documentation structures of higher education establishments created in the form of shared services sets out the missions of these establishments: documentary policy, welcoming users and staff, processing documents and information resources on any medium, developing digital documentary resources and participating in research on these different resources, promoting initial and continuing training and research, cooperating with libraries and training users in new techniques for accessing scientific and technical information.
the Heritage Code / Code du patrimoine
The Heritage Code / Code du patrimoine, legislative part, Book III, Libraries stipulates, in particular, that municipal libraries are organised and financed by the cities or groups of cities and departmental libraries by the local authority between the Region and the Cities (“départements”).
Circular no. 84-360
For elementary schools, circular no. 84-360 of 1 October 1984 defined the general principles for the creation of school libraries.
For secondary schools, the circulars of 23 March 1973 and 74-108 of 14 March 1974 setup Documentation and Information Centres (CDI).
Circular n° 86-123 of 13 March 1986 defines the duties of the documentalist teacher in charge of the Documentation and Information Centre. Today, every secondary school, whether public or private, has one.
Part n°7 of Circular n°2012-056 of 27 March 2012 has seen Documentation and Information Centres evolve into Centres of Knowledge and Culture, the extension of the Learning Centre concept to School libraries.
Law of 1st July 1901
Community libraries are freely created, organised and financed by associations within the framework of the Law of 1st July 1901 (amended several times) on the contract of association.
The French Code of Criminal Procedure
The French Code of Criminal Procedure provides a framework for socio-cultural activities in prisons. Measures to prepare prisoners for their return to society may allow libraries to be set up. In addition, in the regulatory section of the French Code of Criminal Procedure, the article 19 of the standard prison regulation states that “detainees may have access to written and audiovisual publications via the media library of the prison and local libraries that are partners of the prison administration”.
Ordinance no. 2017-1386 of 22 September 2017
Since Ordinance no. 2017-1386 of 22 September 2017, on the new organisation of social and economic dialogue within the company, the Social and Economic Committee has been responsible for, supervises or participates in the management of all social and cultural activities established within the company, primarily for the benefit of employees, their families and trainees, regardless of how they are financed, under conditions determined by decree in the Conseil d’Etat.
Legal Deposit Law
The Heritage Code / Code du patrimoine
France is the first country in the world to have established a legal deposit for printed books, (Montpellier Ordinance, taken by King François I, December 28, 1537), with two objectives, at the time: the constitution of the national heritage and supervision of publishing.
Reformed and extended several times, the legal deposit is now governed by articles L131-1 to L133-1 of the Heritage Code / Code du patrimoine (https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/section_lc/LEGITEXT000006074236/LEGISCTA000006144103/#LEGISCTA000006144103) for legislative provisions and articles R131-1 to R133-1-1 of the same code (https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/section_lc/LEGITEXT000006074236/LEGISCTA000024240034/#LEGISCTA000024240034) for regulatory aspects.
Regulatory Part, Book III, Chapter III, Libraries (https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/section_lc/LEGITEXT000006074236/LEGISCTA000024240657/)
Defines, in particular, “heritage documents”, the procedures for transferring documents belonging to the State, the scope and procedures for the State’s technical and scientific control of local authority libraries, and the annual report on their respective libraries that local authorities must submit to the State.
The collection, conservation and making available of all publishers’ and producers’ productions as well as all documents distributed or imported in France are entrusted to three national institutions:
– The Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) (https://www.bnf.fr/fr/les-missions-de-la-bnf), for books, periodicals, maps and plans, scores, prints, photographs, audio, audiovisual and multimedia documents, software, databases, electronic games and most of the websites. From the legal deposit of these documents (except websites), the BnF prepares the French National Bibliography (https://bibliographienationale.bnf.fr/).
– The Institut national de l’audiovisuel (INA) (https://www.ina.fr/), for radio and television programs and websites relating to these media,
– The Centre national de la cinématographie et de l’image animée (CNC)(https://www.cnc.fr/), for films on photochemical media.
In addition, printers must also deposit their productions in 30 libraries in the regions, including overseas territories.
Some figures from the legal deposit, 2024:
Books, brochures and other printed publications: 93440 (+ 44 eBooks)
Periodicals (issues): 182634
Phonograms, videograms and multimedia: 29202
Scores (titles): 1290
Maps and plans: 2309
Internet (number of URL): 4,3 billion
Copyright Law & Library Exceptions and Limitations
French Intellectual Property Code (from articles L 111-1 to L 343-7) / Code de la propriété intellectuelle
Exceptions and limitations for libraries
There are few exceptions to authors’ right.
Public Lending Right. Law no. 2003-517 of 18 June 2003 on remuneration for library loans and strengthening the social protection of authors, came into force on 1 August 2003. See Chapter III, Articles 133-1 et seq. of the French Intellectual Property Code (CPI).
The law n°2006-961 about authors’ right and neighbouring rights in information society (DADVSI) was enacted in August 2006. Three of them directly concern the edition field: education, handicap and libraries, the one we are interested in.
The exception voted in 2006 in favour of the libraries opened to the public, museums and archives was limited to the matter of conservation and preservation to ensure on-site consultation of damaged works or no longer available for sales or outdated format (which make them unreadable).
This exception was extended by an internet law, also known as HADOPI law (Law nᵒ 2009-669, 12 June 2009) and now includes the right of representation. Libraries are authorised, in the limits fixed by the law (for research purpose in the establishment or specific network, without any financial benefice), to communicate on-site the copy of the legally acquired work by the library if the physical copy is, for example, too damaged to be consulted directly.
The exception to copyright applies to all intellectual works: literary, musical, cinematographic and audiovisual works, works of fine art (paintings, sculptures, architectural works, applied arts), etc. as long as they are protected by copyright. The provisions concerning access to digital files of works concern digital books and printed works.
Law 2016-925 of 7 July 2016 on freedom of creation, architecture and heritage broadened the scope of beneficiaries of the exception. Any individual experiencing one or more impairments—whether motor, physical, sensory, mental, cognitive, or psychological—may be provided with an adapted version of a work, provided that the author or rights holders have not made the work publicly available in a format that meets their accessibility needs. This inclusive definition allows for the consideration of individuals with cognitive and learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, dysphasia, dyscalculia, and dyspraxia.
Professional Qualification Requirements
Professional Qualification Requirements
In France, there are different qualifications to work as a librarian. On the one hand, there are university degrees or diplomas from specialized schools (from BTEC Higher National Diploma to master’s degree) and, on the other hand, there are competitive examinations to enter the civil service.
The various diplomas make it possible to work in companies and association libraries or to apply for certain jobs or competitive examinations in the civil service field. Competitive examinations allow students to work in state and local authority libraries.
The Ministry of Culture has published in 2022 a National Repository of skills in Public Libraries.
Education
Education
INET: Located in Strasbourg, the National Institute for Territorial Studies
ABF: The Association of French Librarian offer a training with delivery of a diploma for people, employees or volunteers, who work in libraries without any academic qualifications or training for the title of assistant librarian.
BnF: The national library of France offers the associated libraries various training courses in support of description and digital projects, as well as training courses enabling librarians to acquire skills in the field of conservation.
CNAM-INTD (National Institute of Documentary Science and Technology): Its objective is to train information professionals. INTD trains information specialists from Bac+3 to Bac+5 level (bachelor/master’s degrees), in close connection with the professional fields.
EBD: EBD is a private higher education institution located on the ICP campus. It offers several professional training courses in the information and documentation professions: Information and Digital Mediator / Information Manager / Digital Information Manager.
Ecole des chartes: Since its creation in 1849, the diploma of “archiviste paléographe” offered a training to prepare students for careers as curators in the field of written, graphic and monumental heritage.
Enssib: National Higher School for Information Sciences and Libraries, Enssib is both a “grande école”, responsible for training state library executives, curators and librarians, recruited by competitive examination, and a specialized university establishment, delivering four master’s degrees in libraries and documentation fields. The school also offers lifelong training courses, validation of acquired experience. It has been training and supporting current and future senior executives of local authorities since 1997. It provides initial and continuing training for library curators.
Universities: There are many diplomas in
Professional Publications
Professional Publications
Actualitté
An online literary magazine for book professionals.
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Archimag
A printed monthly trade magazine. It is aimed at infodoc specialists (librarians, archivists, documentalists, strategic intelligence managers, members of IT departments, etc.), a field in which the title is considered as one of the reference periodicals.
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Bibliothèques
The “Bibliothèques” collection (published by the Cercle de la librairie) brings together fundamental, technical and reflexive texts on all subjects related to the profession of librarian. Only online since 2018.
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BnF for professionals
On the website of the French National Library, an entry dedicated to professionals provides information on legal deposit, conservation, digitisation, cooperation, etc.
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Bpi pro
Bpi pro is a website of the Public Information Library (BPI) which publishes articles, practical sheets, seminar reports and announces its study days for public libraries. This site is fed by the BPI which also solicits other public libraries in France.
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Bulletin des bibliothèques de France (BBF)
The BBF is a quarterly journal devoted to the world of libraries, books, information sciences and culture. It plays a major role in training and informing professionals. Its objective is to reach all readers interested in these cultural themes. Since 2020, it has only been published digitally, except for an annual issue.
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Enssib website
On the website of the national training school for library managers you will find information on their publications, job offers, interviews with professionals and a map of innovative projects.
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Livres hebdo
The website and the magazine Livres Hebdo are intended for book professionals (bookshops, publishers, libraries) and the public interested in current events in books, intellectual life and publishing.
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La collection Médiathèmes
The Médiathèmes collection is a collection of practical guides and teaching manuals published by the Association of French Librarians. These works are intended for all professionals in post, whatever their sector of activity, and more generally for all those who wish to find out more about how libraries work. It is available in print and PDF versions. Suspended since 2019.
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Presses de l’enssib
The “Presses de l’enssib” publishes three collections: the Toolbox for practical works, the Papers collection for analytical works and the Digital collection for studies that are only published in digital form.
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La revue Bibliothèque(s)
Edited by the Association of French Librarians (ABF), it was published until 2020 twice a year and focused on a topical issue for libraries.
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Professional Events
Professional Events
Biblis en folie
Once a year, first week of October. The national days dedicated to libraries enabled visitors to (re)discover the wealth of services offered by these local facilities, reinforcing their role as a crossroads for culture and inclusion.
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ABF annual Congress
Three days dedicated to professional meetings, conferences, workshops etc. and a trade show open to traditional or digital publishers, schools, libraries, professional associations, suppliers of furniture, management systems or other solutions useful to libraries. Every year, ABF organises 2 or 3 national study days, and some are also organised by the regions.
ADBGV annual Conference
Three days of conferences, workshops and forums on topics related to departmental libraries.
ABD annual Conference
Three days of conferences, workshops and forums on topics related to departmental libraries.
ADBU annual Congress
During 2,5 days some 500 congress participants and nearly 70 exhibitors. This event, which brings together the world of Higher Education and Research, is punctuated by conferences, workshops and events on a strong and topical theme.
APDEN meetings
APDEN regularly organises professional meetings for teacher-documentalists at national and regional level.
Carel Network’s annual study day
Carel Network organises an annual study day on electronic resources on a thematic basis (books, self-study resources, press, etc.).
Consortium COUPERIN’s study days
Consortium COUPERIN’s study days are held several times a year and deal with current issues of access to electronic resources in libraries.
Digital Reference Libraries Days
Two days, organised by the Ministry of Culture, dedicated to digital projects in libraries.
Interregional federation for books and reading (FILL)
Each regional structure for books organises annual meetings between libraries and, where appropriate, other book-related professions.
Library research news day
An annual study day organized by the Public Library of Information (Bpi) and national school of information and library sciences (ENSSIB) on the latest research related to the world of libraries.
National Higher Education Library Trainers’ Days
Organised each year by the Pedagogy and Documentation Commission of ADBU in partnership with a library of a higher education and research institution, they are times for study and reflection, but also for the exchange of practices.
Professional days of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)
Throughout the year, BnF offers study days and times for professional meetings for the “associated poles” around digitalisation or around the youth sections of the public libraries.
Professional days of the public library of information (Bpi)
Throughout the year the Bpi organises, in partnership with public libraries, study days and times for professional meetings focusing mainly on social cohesion but also on other themes (video games, documentary cinema, remote question-answer service, music, etc.).
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