Central library of the National institute of the statistics and the economic studies

The central library is a service of documentation concerned with the head office of the National institute of the statistics and the economic studies (INSEE).

Its data bases initial is composed of several elements:

the documentation of the Statistical service of of France;
documents joined together by the National service of the statistics;
the old library of the ministries for the Trade and Work;
the old economic information center.

The library of the ministries for the Trade and Work was made up as from 1900 by the sociologist François Simiand to facilitate the knowledge of the economic and social problems by the ministry in charge of employment. At the time, the work management and social welfare belonged to the ministry for the Trade. In 1906, the Ministry of Labor is created and the library placed at the disposal of the two ministries. In 1937, its funds were estimated at: 200000 volumes.

The creation of the economic information center was decided in the Années 1920 and was supported then by the French Trade union and the International federation of the technical press. In 1930, this creation is officialized by a law which in fact an appendix of the National office of the foreign trade. The center was “to centralize the whole of the international documentation of topicality, necessary as well to the public administrations as with the private individuals”.

In 1934, the Office of the foreign trade is removed and the economic Information center becomes a service of the ministry for the Trade. The finance law of December 31st, 1936 lays down its fastening with the ministry for the Nation's economy. It amalgamates then with the library of the ministries for the Trade and Work under the new name of Information center.

It was composed then of two sections:

a library primarily made up of periodicals in matter technical, statistical, economic, incidentally legal or political;
a whole of approximately: 16000 press kits.

In 1938, the Center is attached to the Réunion of the national libraries of Paris. In 1945, the funds is separate again. A part remains with the National library and the remainder joined the ministry for the Economy, within the direction of documentation and the economic studies, then within the direction of the plan and documentation. The funds is quickly attached to the National institute of the statistics and the economic studies at the time of the creation of this last in 1946.

The unit thus joined the funds collected by the statisticals office, and takes the name of central library of INSEE . It continues to grow rich and constitute a service of reference as regards statistics.

In 2005, the direction of INSEE announced its intention to close the library and to distribute the collections in various organizations, proposal which caused criticisms of the trade unions.

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