ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries A p ril 1986 / 259 La b ib lio th éco n o m ie en F ran ce: An ex­ c h a n g e lib r a r ia n ’s rep ort By W illiam B. N eff Head, Monographs Section Smithsonian Institution Libraries An excellent opportunity for professional development rovided by the French government.p H aving just com pleted a m aster’s degree in French, and anxious to put some of my language skills to practical use, I was most interested by an announcement in late 1983 that the Association of College and Research Libraries was searching for qualified librarians to spend a year on an exchange program in France. This seemed an excellent op­ portunity to gain first-hand knowledge of the cur­ rent state of libraries in a country with which I have long felt a great affinity. No American had as yet participated in this relatively new program which was co-sponsored by the Franco-American Commission for Educational Exchange and the D i­ rection des Bibliothèques, des Musées et de l’Infor- m ation Scientifique et Technique (DBMIST), a branch of the French Ministry of Education. After gaining the approval of the administration of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, my employer, I submitted my resume to ACRL. In March 1984 I was notified that I had been selected to spend 1985 at the library of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) in Paris. In a reciprocal ar­ rangem ent, M adame Sylviane Ashworth of the Bibliothèque de D ocum entation Internationale Contemporaine in Nanterre was detailed to the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, to learn various applications of our integrated autom ated system, and to work in several units of the Libraries. The time I spent in Paris was definitely worthwhile, en­ abling me to learn the routines and procedures of one particular library, while further gaining some insights into the professional training of French li­ brarians and the centralized adm inistration of most libraries in France. The name of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers reveals very little about its mission and is, in fact, rather misleading. Founded in 1794 in the wake of the French Revolution, the Conserva­ toire was established as a “depository of machines, models, tools, drawings, descriptions and books in all areas of the applied sciences.” Today it is a teaching and research institution, headquartered in Paris with regional centers throughout France, offering courses to 74,000 students, most of whom hold full-time jobs while working toward degrees for professional development and advancement. Among the sixty-three subjects taught are chemis­ try, physics, nuclear science, economics, business adm inistration, mechanical engineering, and in­ formation science. Also attached to the Conserva­ toire is the Musée des Techniques, a museum of the history of technology. The library in which I worked is therefore essen­ tially a university library, serving researchers, stu­ dents, and their instructors. Access is also given to outside researchers who may obtain a reader’s card upon presentation of proper credentials. Located in one of two remaining buildings of the royal pri­ 260 / C & R L N ew s ory of Saint-M artin des Cham ps, the library occu­ pies the 13th-century edifice which was once the refectory. A vaulted gothic ceiling and stained glass windows give a most impressive appearance to the reading room, which features a pulpit built high into the wall at one end. C ard catalogs, a reference desk, and places for 100 readers have altered the medieval atmosphere, but the overall impression The 13th-century reading room features stained glass windows and a pulpit. remains rather awesome. All seats are generally filled during the open hours, which are few by American standards. The library is open from 1:00 to 8:30 weekdays, 9:00 to 8:30 Saturdays, and Sunday mornings. The collec­ tion of 200,000 volumes and 3,500 periodicals, of which 1,000 are currently received, is heavily used by the readers. O ther sources available to the users are a rare book collection including 7,000 volumes published prior to 1800, and, at the other end of the tim e spectrum , com puterized access to over 350 databases. The origin of the rare book collection is of interest. The initial deposit consisted of volumes confiscated from the libraries of the royal family, the nobility, and the clergy during the Revolution. The coats of arms of Louis XV and of Marie An­ toinette are still visible on the leather bindings of two volumes. Among the special collections are the Bartholdi archive of materials relating to the con­ struction of the Statue of Liberty, and the Fouras- tie collection of departm ent store catalogs. All processes in the library are m anual, w ith the exception of online database searching and partici­ pation in an autom ated interlibrary loan network and in the Catalogue Collectif National, a d a ta ­ base of 300,000 serial titles. France does not as yet have cooperative cataloging, and so each book or journal of the Conservatoire is cataloged and classi­ fied according to a particular scheme devised for th at library in the last century. Subject headings are assigned from a local authority file m aintained in the library. I will long rem em ber my hours of typing, duplicating and filing catalog cards. The budget for books and journals com pares quite favorably w ith those of other French libraries of similar size. In 1985 the library spent 250,000 francs for books and one million for periodicals. At the present exchange rate this equals $30,000 and $118,000 respectively. Although 90% of the peri­ odicals budget is spent on foreign acquisitions, this sum accounts for only about half of the titles p u r­ chased. The m ajority of these foreign journals are n English. French book purchases have a slight dge over foreign, accounting for 51.5% of the udget. Given the disproportionate expenditure or English-language journals and the unfavorable xchange rate th a t has prevailed in recent years, he CNAM library has been most fortunate in being ble to m aintain all subscriptions. Contracts for ook and journal purchases are held w ith several obbers in Paris. Few titles are obtained directly rom the publisher. Students may not borrow books or journals from he library, although journals are routed to faculty embers. As book stacks are closed, most materials ust be delivered to the reading room. A great any of the most frequently used volumes are in pen access on the reference shelves, which line one all of the reading room. The staff of three conser­ ators, five assistant librarians, one clerk, and five agasiniers, employees who page and shelve the ooks and take care of some of the physical m ainte­ ance of the collection, copes adm irably w ith the orkload, considering the size of the collection and he large num ber of readers. The training and professional education for li­ ra ria n s in F ran ce differ from p ractice in the n ite d S tates. F o r th e b e g in n in g lev el, ibliothécaire-adjoint, one must possess a bacca- auréat, roughly equivalent to an associate degree. fter a o n e-y ear tra in in g p ro g ra m a t one of wenty-six regional centers throughout the coun­ ry, students who pass an exam ination of profes­ ional skills are eligible for em ployment in a techni­ al or su p p o rt position. To a tta in th e ran k of onservateur, librarians w ith more creative and/or reater adm inistrative duties, one must have a li­ ence, or bachelor’s degree, or have worked as a ibliothécaire-adjoint for five years. Candidates ho successfully pass w ritten and oral exams in eneral culture and in a foreign language are ad ­ itted to a one-year course of study at the Ecole ationale Supérieure des Bibliothèques (ENSB) in yon. Only about tw enty students are adm itted to his program each year, and all successful candi­ ates are guaranteed government positions. A third type of library professional is the char- iste, or archivist-paleographer, a graduate of the restigious Ecole des C hartes. T rained to work ith archives and rare books, the holders of this ad ­ anced degree must compete for only one or two pen positions each year. Finally, there is the docu- entaliste, most often employed in docum entation enters in the private sector. The equivalents of our pecial librarians, documentalistes attend a one- ear program at the Institut National des Tech­ iques de la D ocum entation (INSB), a division, in­ identally, of the Conservatoire National des Arts t Métiers. The French library system differs greatly from h a t in the United States in th a t most libraries are tate-run, attached to either the Ministry of E duca­ ion (m unicipal and university libraries) or the i e b f e t a b j f t m m m o w v m b n w t b U b l A t t s c c g c b w g m N L t d t p w v o m c s y n c e t s t A pril 1986 / 261 Ministry of Culture (museums and cultural cen­ ters). It is because of this organization that gradu­ ates of the various programs can be assured a posi­ tio n , as th e n u m b e r of stu d e n ts a d m itte d is determined by the projected number of vacancies. Librarians seeking to change posts can submit their applications to a panel at the DBMIST w hich meets annually to determine who will fill which vacancies. My own experience at the Conservatoire was very rewarding. I was given the opportunity to participate in nearly all of the library’s functions. Thus I cataloged, registered the receipt of standing orders, answered reference questions for readers in the library and by telephone inquiries, and per­ formed more in-depth research for requests re­ ceived by mail. Two special projects assigned to me were the translation of the library’s information brochure into English and the annotation of all course bibliographies for the next year. The latter was most informative, as it enabled me to learn the nature of the courses being taught. I was also given the responsibility of determ ining w hich books would be purchased, as the reading lists contained far more titles than could be bought w ith th at year’s budget. The autonomy which I was granted in carrying out my tasks was indicative, I think, of a respect for my professional background. Equally im portant to the value of my experience was the reception given to me by the library staff. The trepidation that I felt at first as a foreigner was quickly dissipated by the w arm th and good humor urrounding me. I was soon accepted as one of the eam, taking my turn making the morning coffee nd then sharing the duties of the day. My original goals of making use of my language bilities and learning more about French libraries ere certainly both met. All communication at the ibrary was in French, enabling me to improve my luency through the immersion method. My only se of English was in responding to requests in that anguage or in helping “anglophone” researchers. While visits to other libraries in Paris, such as the ibliothèque Nationale, the M azarine, and the ainte-Genevieve, did not afford me an in-depth nowledge of their organization and function, they id perm it me to appreciate a diversity among rench libraries comparable to that found in the nited States. In submitting a w ritten evaluation f my experience to the DBMIST, I stated that it ad been a very exceptional occasion of personal nd professional development. I also expressed the ope that this exchange would continue, as it is to he benefit of both countries to do so. By gaining an ppreciation of the similarities and differences of nited States and foreign libraries, we will be able o m ake b e tte r use of th e resources av ailab le broad. Anyone having an inclination to learn bout our profession at an in tern atio n al level ould do well to investigate this or similar ex­ hange programs. s t a a w l f u l B S k d F U o h a h t a U t a a w c U.S./France librarian exchange ACRL is again assisting the French government (in English). Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire de Toulouse. Science library of 60,000 volumes, 950 serials. Re­ sponsible for information retrieval, both manual and com puter-based, interlibrary loan supervi­ sion, and tehcnical services. The French ministry will approve individuals chosen for the exchange. Round-trip airfare will be paid by the Fulbright Commission. For further in­ formation about this program, see C&RL News, December 1983, p. 436. Interested librarians should send a letter of inter­ est and a current vita by April 30, 1986, to: Mary Ellen Davis, Program Officer, ACRL/ALA, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611-2795; (312) 944- 6780. in arranging exchanges of librarians between the United States and France. Four French librarians have been selected to come to the U.S. ACRL needs to hear from you by the end of April if you are a U.S. librarian who would like to exchange jobs with one of these individuals during the 1986-87 school year. The requirements are: U.S. citizen­ ship, ability to speak French, and at least tentative approval for the exchange from your library ad­ ministration. Librarians selected for the exchange must keep their existing salary. The positions open in France are: Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire de Montpellier. Science library of approximately 850,000 volumes. Responsible for cataloging and public relations with the university. Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire d’Aix-Marseille, Aix-en-Provence. Humanities library of approxi­ mately 250,000 volumes. Responsible for acquisi­ tion and processing of works in French literature, art and archeology, music, and cinema. Bibliothèque Américaine de Nancy. Responsible for the management, functioning, and organiza­ tion of a library of 9,000 books and 40 periodicals 262 / C & R L N ew s International Conference on Data Bases in the Humanities and Social Sciences From June 22 to 24, 1985, approximately 150 people from all over the world gathered at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, for the International Conference on D ata Bases in the Humanities and Social Sciences. It was my privilege to present a p a­ per, co-authored by myself, Thomas J. Donahue Jr., from the library at Georgia State University, and Mindy R. W ertheimer, from the Social Work D epartm ent, on “The Use of Online Demographic Databases in the Provision of Social Services.” In the paper, we explored the benefits of using readily available databases, such as Donnely Demograph­ ics, the National Planning Association’s D em o­ graphic Database, and Electronic Yellow Pages, for hum an services planning and evaluation. At least four other papers of the 58 presented were given by librarians. Penelope Krosch and Pa­ tricia Loehlein from the University of Minnesota spoke on “Online Access to Semi-Published Papers in Business”; Anita Lowry from Columbia Univer­ sity presented a paper analyzing the FRANCIS database; John Budd from Southeastern Louisiana University spoke on “Bibliographic D ata Bases and L iterary Research” ; and M arianne G aunt from Rutgers University gave a paper entitled “The Rutgers Inventory of Machine Readable Text in the H um anities.” Other papers dealt with development of d ata­ bases in areas ranging from linguistics to archeol­ ogy. One particularly exciting development from the University of Iowa is a project to put the School of Art and Art History’s slide collection on vi­ deodisc. The paper was presented by Joan Sustik Huntley and Julie Hausman. My most vivid impression of the conference was the productive exchange among scholars including librarians. The papers given by librarians were well received and generated a num ber of questions. On the other hand, librarians need to be very aw are of the advancements being made in the de­ velopment of all kinds of scholarly databases. Ac- cess to these databases is going to be a crucial prob­ lem for academic librarians in the years to come. Proceedings of the conference will be published by Paradigm Press.—Mary Reichel, Head, Refer­ ence Department, Georgia State University. ■ ■