Inventing a Model Library "a la Française"

This essay examines the impact that two very different library models have had on the history of French public library services. As used here,the term "model library" includes an important ideological component. After setting the historical context, I will attempt to show how the new model library was able to influence and, one might even say, inspire the transformation of public libraries in France. This essay focuses mainly on the second half of the twentieth century, when French public libraries experienced an important period of transition. My goal is to show how this change took place and to explore when, why, and how the new model library emerged.