Bibliotheque National de France - Mitterand

The towers of the Bibliotheque Nationale de France are named -  they are the towers of Laws, of Letters, of Numbers and of Time.

My first attempt to enter this library was when it was closed for holidays. I tried to make sense of the vastness of it. All those empty buildings and concrete made it a spooky place to hang out when there was no one there.

The library lies in not the most inspiring area of Paris – lots of construction and modern buildings that wont last more than 100 years going on, but I was glad it was finally open and was able to get free wifi in the pub nearby.

The specific libraries A-J surround a large courtyard containing a native European forest.  You need tickets to enter each specialist library as you go through a turnstile to enter the library of Sciences, or Arts, Law, Literature, History, Languages or Humanities.

About half the libraries collection is off limits to most users – one needs to be studying postgrad research to enter through the gates that look like the International departures gate at the airport.

I was given tickets to the A- J libraries  I couldn’t get clearance to the K-Y rooms- it looked very serious with big metal doors and security pass gates. It looked quite security ridden - people had their laptops/books in clear plastic satchels provided by the library and had to check in other items.

Globes of Louis XIV

The biggest touristy reason to visit the BnF Mitterand (in ones own opinion)- is the Hall of Globes – a permanent exhibition in the West Hall. The 2 world globes were created in 1683 for the Sun King. Both exquisitely painted in Baroque style, one is a geographical depiction of the world as perceived from that time, with strange lands, sea explorations and creatures of the deep. The other is a celestial globe, featuring zodiac constellations shown as realistic figures, comets known at the time, and a moveable sun structure able to travel around the outside of the globe.

Sound merely lovely? Each globe is bigger that your lounge room – well, 4 metres in diameter, anyway. No photographs are allowed sadly – and the globes are so vast they wont fit in the frame either. A must see for their awesomeness - and its free!
 Catch a small glimpse at: http://expositions.bnf.fr/globes/expo_us/02.htm

LABO

The Tech Laboratory presents new technologies for reading, writing and dissemination of knowledge to visitors, where they can explore the library catalogue on new devices. The question they ask is – what events are born when the new technology encounters the collection? The Lab page on the BnF website also contains miles of video resources to view on this subject – great for professional development!

http://labo.bnf.fr/html/ressources.htm

The BnF Website - www.bnf.fr

An essential digital reference point for librarians, geeks and introverts alike, the BnF website outlines how they deal with information management issues in their organisation, such as electronic document management policies, management plans for functional classification and proposals for records management.

Policies for BnF research programmes are explained in useable detail. Their mission is to create active research mostly within their collections, as part of the Library's national, European and international influence.

The BnF website is also a treasure trove of video clips for professional development for librarians, where you can update your skills, and provide online exhibitions their treasures to browse.

Gallica, the BnF's online digital library resource allows worldwide users to research books, manuscripts, maps, images, periodicals, sound recordings and scores. Users can explore collected RSS feeds, collection features and Gallica apps for iPad for hours of fascination...

The British Library

Gaining access to the Reading Rooms of the British Library takes some doing - such as having a passport, legitimate research purposes and purchasing a pass.  For the unsuspecting tourist who just pops in for the day, a little preparation is needed prior to the visit.

 Unfortunately, that wasn't what I did - one just wandered in, but the library was still ready with plenty of treasures waiting and was a great place to spend a day away from Londons crowds.

In the centre of the building, the Kings Library features in a custom made glass tower 6 storys high.  The collection dates from the 1700's and books are retrieved for use in the rare books and music reading rooms.  

 The Kings Library in its glass tower:

Library tourists can also view the 'Treasures of the Library' collection in the Sir John Ritblat Gallery, which features the Magna Carte, Leonardo Da Vinci's notebook, original music score of Handel's 'Messiah', Charles Dickens notebooks,.......

A temporary exhibition called ‘Writing Britain’ was on display at the time – celebrating over 1000 years of English literature.   An Aladdin’s cave of manuscripts, belongings and drawings had been assembled from authors including Tolkien, Lennon, Blake, Dickens, Shakespeare, Rowling, Chaucer, Bronte, AA Milne, Stevenson, Zadie Smith, Orwell, Bram Stoker, Yeats, Pinter – and the list goes on and on….. One felt encouraged that some authors journals looked no different to ones own.  Others, however, looked like magical codexes of spells to fire the inspiration.  

www.bl.uk/writing britain

The newsletter of Friends of the British Library had an interesting article outlining the time of Dame Lynne Brindley’s time as chief executive of the Library as it comes to an end.  The purpose of the British Library had changed over the past decade – from being a mere large repository to having to make its own income, make the libraries resources as digital as possible, and adapt strategic marketing to capture wider audiences.       

www.bl.uk/friends

The British Library website is well worth checking on a regular basis for keeping up to date with library practices, technologies and what is happening at the forefront of the library world - and to keep finding amazing things.  The Library has reached out to us from London – and we can visit anytime from any country and keep informed. 

www.bl.uk