Superior council of the libraries

Creation

In his report/ratio on the libraries (1988), André Miquel underlines the utility of “the urgent installation of a Superior council of the libraries charged to envisage, prepare and follow the installation of the poles and communication networks, the costing, frequentations and results, the distribution of the corresponding appropriations and the establishment of the chart of the libraries”.

Following this report/ratio the Superior council of the libraries is created

Role

The need for such a council is born owing to the fact that the libraries depend to some extent of the subdirectorate of the libraries and the scientific information (ministry for Higher education) and to some extent of the direction of the book and the reading (Ministère of the Culture). One of these important roles is thus of “supports the coordination of the documentary policies concerned with several ministers”

The CSB does not have an executive role nor constraining: it is a body of council and consultation, “charged to give opinions and recommendations on the situation and the questions which relate to the documentary libraries and networks”.

Placé attached to the ministers of education main road, the culture and research, it enjoys a certain autonomy and fixes itself the calendar of its work. These two elements led the Sénat to indicate that it could “be comparable with an independent administrative authority” without in being really.

It returns each year a report/ratio (the last one goes back to 1998-1999) and writes texts on the main trends of the libraries. One owes him in particular the Charte of the libraries , adopted on November 7th, 1991.

Organization

The CSB includes/understands 21 members: its president and his two vice-presidents are named by decree of the Prime Minister. Among the 18 ordinary members, 6 are proposed by the minister in charge for Higher education, 6 by the Minister for the Culture and 3 members proposed by the minister in charge for Research. Lastly, 3 town councilors come to be added to it. The members are named for one three years period, renewable once.

List presidents of the CSB

1989-1993 : Andre Miquel
1993-1997: Michel Melot
1997-2001: Jean-Claude Groshens

Announced end of the CSB

Since 2001, the CSB is in lethargy: it is not joined together any more and its members were not renewed. The professionals of the libraries were moved by this situation and the Association of the librarians of France successively adopted two motions in favor of this Council, in 2001 then in 2006.

However, at the time of Congress 2006 of this association, the disappearance of the CSB was announced without the texts governing it (from now on codified with the Code of education) not being repealed.

According to the declarations of Benoit Yvert in February 2007, the CSB could reappear in the form of the “Council of the book”.

Sources

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