January 22, 1994


	FYIFrance: EXTRA -- changes (?) at the Bib.s Nationale & de France

by:	Jack Kessler
	kessler@well.sf.ca.us


Two items:

1) changes (?) at the Bibliothe`ques Nationale & de France

2) FYI FRANCE 0115: Caen, and Prestel and Minitel -- a certain rumor

***

1) changes (?) at the Bibs. Nationale & de France

For any of you interested in the Bibliothe`que de France and the
Bibliothe`que Nationale, or in French politics, and for any librarian,
the following news:

The Bibliothe`que Nationale and the Bibliothe`que de France (the latter
is the "TGB / Tre's Grande Bibliothe`que" project, which has received
so much attention), just have been merged into a single administrative
entity, the "Bibliothe`que Nationale de France". Its President is Jean
Favier, who has been director of the French National Archives, and its
Director - Ge'ne'ral is Philippe Belaval, mai^tre des reque^tes of the
Conseil d'Etat. Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, former Administrateur
Ge'ne'ral of the BN, has been named President of the conseil
scientifique of the new BNdeF.

-- as reported on BIBLIO-FR (summarized and translated by jk), and
announced in the "Journal Officiel" n. 2 of January 2-4, 1994, decret
n.  94-3, page 149.

What does "all this mean"? Not a lot, perhaps, although readers here
may know more than I do about Messrs. Favier and Belaval, knowledge
which may enable them to reach specific conclusions about the BNdeF's
future.  M. Dominique Jamet no longer is involved, but that is a
political decision which came as no surprise to anyone, after the
change of national government which occurred last Spring. Professor Le
Roy Ladurie's continuing presence is reassuring, even if he is not to
be President, as some had predicted: perhaps rumors of his return to
full - time writing have not been "greatly exaggerated" -- for now he
may work to ensure that BN librarians get heard in the new
establishment.

Still to come, however, is news of the project itself. How much
electronic access is there going to be? How much "informatisation"? How
many texts initially will be "digitized"? (That last target has
wandered from initial estimates of 300,000 to 450,000, then to 150,000
and most recently back to perhaps 100,000.) The financial problems of
the BNdeF, and of France generally, are enormous now. What will emerge,
at the end, of the original French Presidential mandate not only to
provide a new house for the printed objects of the BN but to provide
access to the texts which they contain, and to the public?

***

2) FYI FRANCE 0115: Caen, and Prestel and Minitel -- a certain rumor

a) In a correction to the January 15 issue of FYI FRANCE, please note 
the following change of address: 

from -- 

192.33.163.200    Bibliothe`que Universitaire de Caen (login as
                  BUSCIENCES)
to --

caen1.unicaen.fr  Bibliothe`que Universitaire de Caen; username : 
		  Bibliotheque or Library 

an error which did an injustice to one of the original, and better, 
efforts in France to make full use of online library capacities.

b) I also have to downgrade my report of Prestel's acquisition by 
Minitel, from the status of established fact to that of respectable 
rumor. 

Oh well, at least corrections from readers mean that your stuff is
being read.


Jack Kessler

kessler@well.sf.ca.us

ISSN 1071 - 5916

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