"Open more, open better", extension of the opening hours of libraries of local authorities
In order to encourage libraries in local authorities to "open up better and more", the State is increasing support for the extension and evolution of opening hours. Situation in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.
Since 2016, the general decentralisation grant, more specifically the special competition reserved for libraries, has been financing projects to extend and change the opening hours of libraries in local authorities.
As part of the 2018 Finance Law, an additional €8 million of this special grant was adopted. At the national level, 200 new plans for extending and changing working hours must be supported in order, as the Orsenna report recommends, to ensure that these working hours «correspond to the real times of the city». This includes large cities or library networks with a significant population, as well as priority areas (city political districts and rural revitalization areas).
In partnership with the departmental libraries, information days allowed to mobilize personal and/or elected in the 6 departments of the territory. In addition, the vade-mecum for the use of the €8 million entered in the 2018 finance law, State support for projects to extend and change the opening hours of libraries of local authorities, was sent to all libraries in the region.
For this year 2018, twenty-five files community have been committed, including 24 effective extension projects and one single diagnosis, for an amount of 929 148 €. The commitment of these 24 communities results in an increase in library opening hours equal to 233 overtime hours in the Provence-alp es-Côte d'Azur region.
The eligible expenses are of different kinds; they mainly concern personnel costs, or the development of animation projects, or even investments that facilitate the continued opening of the library.
Following the objectives of the territorial policy, presented on Wednesday, July 18, 2018 by the Minister of Territorial Cohesion and the Secretary of State to the Minister of Territorial Cohesion, the “strengthening of intermediary hubs, in particular of so-called “medium” cities” is also a major issue in the field of extension and evolution of library opening hours. Efforts must therefore be continued to strengthen the territorial network, in particular by supporting extension projects in the Maritime Alps.
About 40 communities are targeted: about twenty «medium» cities for all the departments that have municipalities of more than 30.000 inhabitants, to which is added about twenty central towns or cantonal capitals for the alpine departments.
The extension and evolution of the opening hours of libraries of local authorities is part of a global approach of "transformation of libraries and change management within libraries". The Regional Directorate for Cultural Affairs is therefore particularly attentive to the relationship between the extension and development of opening hours and the increase in the level of qualification. The latter is indispensable for the development of a public reading policy that combines access to multiple and diverse resources, social cohesion, cultural mediation, fight against illiteracy, media literacy, digital training, fight against exclusion, networking.
PACA DRAC Contacts:
Louis BURLE, book and reading consultant - 04 42 16 19 96 - louis.burle@culture.gouv.fr
Jézabel LAFON, responsible for the investigation of DGD files - 04 42 16 14 22 - jezabel.lafon@culture.gouv.fr