Les Nouvelles Bibliotheques Nationales et la Mutation des Bibliotheques a la Fin du 20e Siecle

It is surprising to note the number of national libraries in the world being built at a time when virtual libraries are being talked about. The first reason for this phenomenon must be sought in the publication explosion, which information technology does not seem to be discouraging. There are however three more fundamental reasons for the persistence of libraries in their physical form. Their architecture is adapting to the diversification of media and usages, notably by the development of levels in accord with the rate of document use; the library has a symbolic function for people as a meeting place and a concentration of established knowledge; and, in spite of increasingly globalized and standardized electronic support, libraries express special features associated with regional cultures. As a threatened species, libraries arc developing their own defences and undergoing a transformation that could herald not just their survival but a renaissance.