Bordeaux, Lille, Nice, Marseille, Rennes, Le Havre, Le Mans, Tours, Dijon, Paris (excluding CDs and DVDs)… These cities do not have the same political color but have all made the same choice: to make registrations free to their municipal libraries and media libraries. Because if the law stipulates that entry into these public places devoted to reading and culture cannot be paid for, the same is not true for the borrowing of documents. Pricing is set freely by the municipalities. However, in recent years, especially since Covid-19, more and more mayors have decided to remove this obstacle.
“We saw during the crisis that the book had aroused renewed interest, that access to reading was an important issue. And the simple fact of paying to register could be a brake with a category of public, “explains Michel Cocotier (PS), municipal councilor of the city of Nantes, which is preparing to celebrate the second anniversary of free admission. of his library network. “We realized that there was a dropout among adolescents and young adults. Free admission is clearly a tool to bring them back, ”explains Lucille Lheureux (EELV), deputy mayor of Grenoble, where the measure has been in effect since 2019, including for her art library.
“Even if the subscriptions were not expensive, it was perhaps already too much for some. Libraries are such important places that there must not be the slightest brake, ”confirms Pascal Labelle (LR), deputy mayor of Reims, who took the same decision in 2020.
“There was a virtuous effect each time”
The initial awareness is therefore often the same. But has free registration really paid off or not? “Yes, obviously,” says the association of librarians of France (ABF) which suggests an average increase of 40% in registrations one year after free admission. In Nantes and Grenoble, the increase in registrations exceeds 30%. In Reims, it is 13%. The volume of borrowings also increased, although less significantly. “Each time there was a virtuous effect, including on building attendance and on-site reading. Free access has made it possible to communicate in a positive way in a context where reading is facing strong competition from smartphones and audiovisual platforms,” says Xavier Galaup, head of advocacy of the ABF.
“It made it possible to reach new audiences, especially young people. We see this, in particular, with the significant increase in comic book borrowings, ”underlines Michel Cocotier, in Nantes. “It was effective in stemming the drop in attendance due to the Covid”, adds Pascal Labelle in Reims. “The perception is very positive. It is even one of the rare subjects on which we have received messages of thanks, ”insists Lucille Lheureux, from Grenoble.
“The shortfall is marginal”
Several large cities have nevertheless remained on the paying model, like Lyon, Strasbourg, Montpellier, Angers, Saint-Etienne or Cannes. In Toulouse, a reflection is “in progress”. The opposing argument is often that of loss of earnings. “The differential is marginal, of the order of a few tens of thousands of euros”, estimates the city of Grenoble. In Reims, the loss of revenue is estimated at 40,000 euros per year. “But now there are fewer administrative seizures, there is no more collection. This frees up time for librarians to do their core business. The service is more efficient”, estimates Pascal Labelle, who specifies that his municipality is however “not a big fan of free services in general”. “There were 18 different tariffs before. It’s much easier to manage now, ”adds Nantes elected official Michel Cocotier.
The other argument put forward is that of respect for the material. “The documents would no longer have any value if they were free and people would be less careful. In reality, from what we observe, it has not been demonstrated, ”says the ABF manager. “We see no change in the behavior of readers, neither for delays nor for deterioration”, abounds the city of Grenoble.
The association of librarians is now campaigning for the trend to spread throughout France. “We asked elected officials to try to convince the refractory. I think it moves the lines a bit, ”considers Xavier Galaup. It also advocates “universal free”, and not just limited to the inhabitants of the territory, as is the practice in Lille or Nantes, for example.
