Chorges - Media Library

Shared between the artificial lake of Serre-Ponçon and the peaks of Piolit and Chabrières, the municipality of Chorges has several assets that make it a privileged destination for tourists, located in the heart of the department of Hautes-Alpes.
Chorges evolves within the Community of communes of Lac Serre-Ponçon. Its ambition is to make its future media library a top-of-the-network equipment focused on youth and digital, thus connecting the libraries present in the canton to the departmental library of the Hautes-Hautes-Alps to deepen and facilitate access to the documentary offer.

The project to build the media library meets a real need in the municipality. Because of its narrowness, the capacity of the original library was considerably limited in terms of services offered, cultural activities and diversity of collections. In addition to being inaccessible to certain audiences, it could not be very open because managed only by volunteers. The move of the service proved necessary to be able to envisage new perspectives in the cultural field and to make more dynamic the offer present in the territory.
It is an old school located in the centre of the village that was chosen to host the new media library. The proximity of the building to the schools of the municipality is an advantage for both the service and the local population. As the ground floor is occupied by the village’s leisure centre, the library will be located on two levels and will offer real potential in terms of its size.

This project will allow the municipality of Chorges to expand its public reading offer and develop its cultural action. The rehabilitation of the former school will make it an open and easy access place for all, offering diversified collections.
It will also create a place to host cultural events. The installation of a multi-purpose animation room dedicated to the programming of the media library will make it possible to organize exhibitions, concerts, screenings, conferences or interventions by partners.  The media library will also include a music room. The municipality even plans to acquire a piano to contribute to the support of associative and cultural life.
The municipality of Chorges also aims to make its new media library a local socio-cultural institution focused on access to culture for all. In this perspective, she wants to instill in it an artistic and cultural dynamic that promotes social diversity and intergenerational attendance. This will contribute more generally to the improvement of the living environment of the Caturiges. The programming of the next media library will include animations, workshops, workshops and discoveries.

The collections will include print and multimedia content. This offer will be complemented by specific collections. Among these funds, we can mention the local fund to learn more about the territory and its history, the scientific fund focused on the environment, renewable energies and technologies and the press conference proposing a plurality of titles. Students, students and adults will have at their disposal a training and self-study fund, as well as a fund dedicated to foreign languages to enable them to learn other languages.  In order to promote reading for children, a family and early childhood fund will be developed. Another fund will consist of audio books and large-print works adapted to the visually impaired.
A game library developed in partnership with the association «Ludambule» will allow young and old to participate in various games. The media library will also include a disco and video library. Digital resources will be an integral part of the media library offering. They will be accessible via the equipment made available on the premises.
All these collections will be organized according to their general theme and arranged in such a way as to guarantee their accessibility and readability. Everyone must be able to find what he wants independently.

This new equipment will also be better adapted to current challenges in terms of access to culture and digital. The media library wishes to focus more on a digital offering that will allow the public to understand new cultural uses through introductory workshops, discovery or play. Children will have the opportunity to attend digital storytime workshops. The new service also wants to host classes to make them aware of documents in their paper format and new technologies, in order to conduct projects of realization with them.

In addition, the media library plans to receive schoolchildren and their teachers during the closing hours to offer them readings and workshops dedicated to arts and cultural education. In this context, she plans to regularly welcome the children of the crèche and the maternal assistants of the Relay Maternal Assistants.
It is also planning an extension of its actions outside the walls. The establishment of a home book carrying service is envisaged in favour of elderly people or those who find themselves in difficulty to reach the media library.
Communication activities specifically aimed at tourists and resort residents will aim to attract a wider audience by improving the visibility of this new equipment.

The media library intends to continue the actions initiated previously with partner structures. In addition, it wishes to implement various cultural mediation actions by relying on new partnerships with associations and structures present in the vicinity that will promote the dynamism and attractiveness of the place. Thus, storytelling shows, screenings, writing workshops, artist meetings or exhibitions in different artistic fields can be proposed.
The project of rehabilitation of the building is also part of a sustainable perspective and aims for this purpose the certification BDM (Mediterranean Sustainable Buildings). By becoming aware of certain energy and environmental issues, the municipality affirms its desire to anchor in the future. 

The new Chorges media library will undoubtedly become an essential element in local cultural life. By capitalizing on a plurality of resources and a spacious and friendly layout of the premises, it confirms its position as a local cultural equipment promoting exchanges, curiosity and knowledge. It is scheduled to open in autumn 2018.

Architect : Donjerkovic workshop, DPLG-DCESHCMA in Marseille
Localization : Chorges
Size of media library : 338.3 m²
Estimated cost of work €765,600 excl. tax
State aid €267,960 excluding tax 

• This sheet was prepared by Amélia Dreystadt, a trainee at the Drac Paca with the Advisor for Books and Reading as part of a Master’s degree in Law and Management of Culture and Media at the Faculty of Law and Political Science in Aix-Marseille.