The Réseau Francophone Numérique (RFN) was created in 2006, the result of a shared vision on the part of the BnF and the Library and National Archives of Quebec (BAnQ), and joined by the Royal Library of Belgium, the Library and Archives of Canada, the National Library of Luxembourg, the Swiss National Library, and then by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Egypt) and the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco (BNRM).
Officially launched in 2008, the RFN currently comprises 32 heritage institutions (national libraries, university libraries, national archives and institutes) in 22 countries: Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Ivory Coast, Egypt, France, Haiti, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Niger, the Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Switzerland, Tunisia, Vietnam. The network acquired legal status in 2017, becoming an International Non-Profit Association (INPA) under Belgian law.
Enjoying the support of the International Francophonie Organisation (OIF) since its creation, the RFN has become an ideal platform for cooperation, facilitating the sharing of knowhow through organisation of training programmes, development of teaching materials and exchange of information between its members.
The RFN has seen their numbers increase over the years and currently comprises 32 institutions in 22 countries.
The Bibliothèque du Réseau Francophone Numérique (BRFN or Francophone Digital Network Library) was born of a determination to pool the cultural heritage of an extensive cultural area connected by use of the French language, which, according to the OIF, is spoken by some 300 million people. Drawing on the features incorporated into Gallica, the BnF’s digital library, and administered by the BnF on behalf of the network, the BRFN enables the sharing and use of digitised documents by the network’s members, through geographical corpuses and thematic selections. Launched in 2017, it aims to provide all the RFN’s members with a platform for dissemination and use of its contents as well as ensuring their long-term safety. The BRFN gives access to a documentary heritage boasting all the cultural diversity characteristic of the French-speaking world.
A collaborative, participatory library, the BRFN currently aggregates documents from twelve RFN members:
Other Network members have already committed to contributing to the BRFN.
Following the 2021 Network General Assembly, discussions were launched to upgrade the RFN library tree structure. A collaborative effort involving all members followed, culminating in 2024 with the implementation of a new structure that better integrates the diversity and multiplicity of members’ documentary selections and that can also foster collaboration with the academic and research communities.
The RFN website has also been completely redesigned and is available here.
The network’s operation is largely based on the proceedings of an Annual General Assembly convening all its members. Every three years, on the occasion of such meetings, they appoint the members Administrative Body (formerly the Executive Committee), the RFN’s governing body.
From 2018 to 2024, Laurence Engel and then Gilles Pécout chaired the Network. In 2024, the Administrative Body was renewed and is now composed of:
| Countries | Member Institutions |
|---|---|
| Armenia | 1. National Library of Armenia |
| Belgium | 2. Royal Libray of Belgium |
| Benin | 3. National Library of Benin 4. National Archives of Bénin |
| Burkina Faso | 5. National Library of Burkina Faso 6. National Archives of Burkina Faso |
| Cambodia | 7. National Library of Cambodia |
| Cameroon | 8. National Archives of Cameroun |
| Canada | 9. Library and Archives Canada |
| Quebec (Canada) | 10. National Library and Archives of Quebec |
| Ivory Coast | 11. National Library of Côte d’Ivoire 12. National Archives of Ivory Coast |
| Egypt | 13. Bibliotheca Alexandrina |
| Guinea | 14. Guinea National Library |
| France | 15. Bibliothèque nationale de France (National Library of France) |
| Haïti | 16. Haitian Library of the Spiritans 17. National Library of Haiti |
| Luxembourg | 18. National Library of Luxembourg |
| Madagascar | 19. University Library and Archives of Antananarivo 20. National Library of Madagascar |
| Mali | 21. National Library of Mali |
| Morocco | 22. National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco 23. Archives du Maroc |
| Niger | 24. Abdou Moumouni University’s Human Sciences Research Institute (IRSH) |
| Republic of the Congo |
25. National Library of Congo Brazzaville 26. National Archives and Documentation Centre (CNAD) of the Republic of the Congo |
| Senegal | 27. National Library and Archives of Senegal 28. Central Library of Cheikh Anta Diop University 29. Institut fondamental d’Afrique noire (Fundamental Institute of Black Africa) |
| Suitzerland | 30. Swiss National Library |
| Tunisia | 31. National Library of Tunisia |
| Vietnam | 32. National Library of Vietnam |
Ever since its creation, the RFN has enjoyed the support of partners, with which it shares common goals on behalf of culture, education and scientific research. Such cooperation has helped consolidate the network and assisted in its development.
Téléphone : 33(0) 1 53 79 59 10
