Renovation of La Médiathèque

The project arose from a unanimous observation: La Médiathèque required urgent and consistent renovation, to adapt to the needs of today’s users. What is the plan then?
Bringing you bigger and more comfortable premises, heritage improvement and technological advancement, and a clearer display of the collections.
We believe that the whole purpose of a library is to give everyone a chance to have the best reading experience and genuine cultural immersion. As our specific features are to be part of the Institut français and to own the biggest French catalogue abroad, we consider it our duty to offer curious readers and language students a closer acquaintance with French culture.
In 2013, the The Friends of the French Institute Trust, the charity that supports the Institut’s main development projects, was convinced by the necessity of the plan and launched a substantial fundraising campaign, with a goal of attaining the overall budget of £1.7M, which is now completed.
£
£1,700,000
raised
Please read the report of the fundraising campaign

Timeline

2014
Renovation stage 1

The restoration of the Art Deco reading room has been achieved, thanks to the passionate engagement of 48 private donors.

2015
Renovation stage 2

The Bibliothèque Quentin Blake has now opened its doors and welcomes happy families and school groups. Thanks to the support of our donors, we have been able to expand our collections and make the library even more educational and enjoyable by providing children with easy access to a wide range of interactive resources.

2016
Renovation stage 3

We have now completed the last step of the project: the creation of a Hub for Study and Discovery. Adapted to your own library use, it offers the most technologically advanced part of the adults’ library.

Discover more about the project

Former Director Laurent Burin des Roziers presents the global renovation project

Bringing a historical approach to this heritage jewel.

Take a closer look at the current phase of the plan for La Médiathèque

We focus today on the children’s library – a major cause supported by Sir Quentin Blake himself… and called for by our youngest readers.