Development of public reading
The Ministry of Culture and Communication promote the development of reading and more specifically to conduct a reflection on the place of the public in libraries, and the relationships they can have with books and reading.
In order to fulfil this mission, in an area where skills are very widely shared, the Office of Public Reading intervenes by favouring a policy based on contractual relationships with partnersfrom the public or private sectors. This policy is reflected in the implementation of the Territory-reading contracts (CTL), the objective of which is to establish multi annual agreements between the State, local and regional authorities and associations for the development of public reading. CTL thus promotes the emergence of local synergies between actors in cultural, educational and social policies, in favour of the development of reading, especially in the most deficit or sensitive territories.
The attention of the Office of Public Reading is particularly focused on youth audiences, in the context of the development of the taste for reading, the training of the citizen, or the prevention and the fight against illiteracy.
The Bureau shall in particular coordinate the"First Page" operation, a National Reading Awareness Program to distribute an original creative album and reading guide to any family hosting a child in the year. This partnership has been developed since 2009 as part of a partnership with the Caisse nationale des allocations familiales (Cnaf) in 3 pilot departments (Ain, Lot and Seine-et-Marne). An extension to 7 departments was carried out in 2010 (Puy-de-Dôme, Pyrénées-Orientales, Réunion, Savoie), marking the passage from 29,000 to 55,000 births concerned. A guide for parents and children with disabilities or reading difficulties has been developed.
This attention also focuses on prevented public, that is, persons hospitalized, disabled or detained by allowing them to access works and books in an appropriate form. In particular, the Ministry of Culture supports the development of thereading offer "Easy to read" in libraries and mediation places ; it works towards a better consideration of theaccessibility in territorial libraries, as well as thedigital accessibility.
In parallel with its own action, the Bureau supports national reading development associations young, disabled and disadvantaged groups. This support takes the form of ongoing relations with associations with a view to the emergence of projects aimed at audiences throughout the territory, and financial support.
