Why renovating Richelieu Library?

The Richelieu Library is the historic cradle of the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Renovation work will allow to reorganize the various departments of the library. On the other hand, the libraries of both the Institut national d’histoire de l’art (INHA) and the Ecole nationale des Chartes will be housed at Richelieu Library. The project aims to:

Renovate premises and equipments and improve preservation conditions for collections
Enhance and enlarge services offered to users
- Provide better working conditions for researchers
- Make Richelieu Library a major centre for research
Enhance access to Richelieu’s collections

Renovate premises and equipments and improve preservation conditions for collections

The aim is to guarantee that all premises and equipments comply with safety standards to better ensure safety of persons and preserve national heritage collections (20 million documents housed at Richelieu Library). Working conditions for readers and the library staff will be considerably improved.

Enhance and enlarge services offered to users

Provide better working conditions for researchers

Reader consulting a BnF's manuscript

New services will be proposed to users: renovated and more practical reading areas, development of new technological tools, areas devoted to working groups...
In parallel, the computerization of catalogs is carried on; some bibliographical notes describing the collections of Richelieu departments regularly enrich the BnF Catalogue général or the BnF catalogue Archives et manuscrits. On the other hand, the digitization of Richelieu documents has been accelerated. Over one million pages or images are already available online via Gallica.

Make Richelieu Library a major centre for research

In the near future, BnF’s departments, together with the INHA Library that will be located in the big Labrouste reading room and the library of the Ecole nationale des Chartes will be housed at Richelieu Library. As a result, this historic place will become a major centre for research mainly providing art history resources.

See

Enhance access to Richelieu’s collections

Starting at the top, Oval reading room, Mazarine gallery

The Richelieu Library will be opened to a wider public. Visitors will be able to access the library via the rue de Richelieu or using the Vivienne garden. The following services will be proposed to visitors:

In the quadrilateral area, visitors will have the possibility to follow a path and discover on their own, the readings rooms, outstanding bookstacks and beautiful heritage areas.
The Mazarine gallery presenting the BnF's treasures.
A renewed presentation of the collections kept at the Department of coins, medals and antiquities.
Two galleries dedicated to temporary exhibitions (Mansart gallery and crypt)
An oval reading room offering a wide variety of services, at the forefront of new technologies, available to a large audience, to discover the Richelieu collections.
New areas devoted to educational activities.
A coffee-shop and a bookstore.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011