Mon Carnet de Voyage

On Sunday, I had a stroll through the Latin Quarter (so called, as one theory goes, because the students and professors from the nearby University of Paris spoke only in Latin during the middle ages).

My main ambition was to pay a visit to my favourite bookshop, Shakespeare and Company. A bookshop, right on the seine, with shelves filled with classics from the English speaking world, old and new. The original bookshop was started by American Sylvia Beach in 1962, nearby in Odeon, and today, in a new location, the is store owned by 94 year old George Whitman, and run by his daughter, Sylvia Whitman...strangely the same first name.

One of the reasons that until now it has been my favourite (...yes, I did say 'until now', but I’ll get to why it is no longer in just a second), is that at nighttime, the owner (George) allows fledgling writers to sleep in between the bookshelves in exchange for 2 hours volunteer work in the bookshop (note the bed in the image below).
Now, I like to think that I was once a fledging writer (allow me to use past tense here, please!), and this temple of the written word might one day be my pillow, in some romantic dream where I find myself living in Paris, unassisted by any government scholarship or means of subsistence, except perhaps the odd, sad little royalty check. So it was with a sad and shocked chagrin, that I overheard the following conversation:

Tourist: I hear I can sleep here for a night?
Bookshop assistant: Actually it has to be a week minimum.
Tourist: Oh, but I am only here for one night. But I might come back next year for a week, could I stay here then?
Bookshop assistant: Yeah, sure I suppose so. I mean, we are often full, but you can try your luck. Are you a writer?
Tourist: No, I...well, no...I wrote a poem once, but...no, I am studying medicine. Oh...Do you have to be a writer to stay here?
Bookshop assistant: Yeah...but, it’s ok. You can stay here even in you aren’t a writer...just as long as you do two hours work in the bookshop every day.

There it is. A veritable form of slavery, the floors above were probably full of backpackers, ignorant of the many great writers and beat poets who had sleep therein before them, and no longer the spirit it once had. Having read up on Sylvia Whitman, and her endorsement of her father’s plan to offer lodging to penniless writers, I would hope that this conversation shocks her, but if it doesn't, then I have to find a new favourite bookshop. I think Sylvia should grab the American backpacker who was volunteering in the shop on Sunday (above) and shake him until his centimes fall into the wishing well, there placed to feed the writers lodging upstairs above.

Alas, the ephemeral nature of our petit cultures...

This week in Library Land

On Tuesday, I spent the day, at La Joie par les livres, or 'Joy through books', the library that was established in 1965, as a centre for children’s books. Today, tucked away down a lane, in a four story building in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, it exists to promote literature for young people, and just 7 weeks ago, it joined the BNF as the 7th site of the library. In 2009, it will relocate to the BNF François Mitterrand site, but for now, I was able to talk with the director, about its many courses for teachers and librarians, its resources and its publications. Touring through the collection, I found immense stacks of French children’s books, each sent to La Joie par les livres (LJPLL) under their own form of legal deposit.

In essence, when I heard about LJPLL, I felt that it must be like our own Centre for Youth Literature (CYL), housed at The State Library of Victoria. The mission is the same, in that it exists to promote reading for young people and is an advisory body to teachers and librarians on the particulars of young adult literature. The books, though in a different language on the shelf, were the same types of books that CYL would review and promote. But with 30 staff as opposed to CYL’s 3.5 staff, the centre in Paris offers programs for adults only, and not for young people themselves. Here in France, the 4000 teachers and librarians that subscribe to the services of La Joie par les livres are considered the conduits for promoting literature to the young people.

LJPLL is a very successful model and one that offers a large and dynamic program, however I did find myself once again questioning, the distance placed between library and young person, which I think, is something all libraries need to consider – hence, the topic of my dissertation. I did find many new ideas in the programs however, that might work at home, should my busy 3.5 colleagues need new ideas in their already incredibly busy schedule of activities!

LJPLL publishes a complete review of all newly released young adult books every two months (something that in Melbourne, is done by other publications and organisations), an annual bulletin, maintains a resource centre of all the books for teachers to peruse, offers professional advice, as well as a variety of conferences.

A complete list of the work done at La Joie par les livres can be found at: www.lajoieparleslivres.com

CYL in Melbourne on the other hand, offers face to face programs to both young people and theirs teachers/librarians (including the website www.insideadog.com.au Click here for more information on CYL: www.slv.vic.gov.au/youthlit

Video-essay on The BNF

This week, a great program aired on France2, on the BNF. It's a great snapshot of life at the BNF, the treasures held in the collection, and also, the problems of conservation.

To view, click on "A Livres Ouvert", the first program listed in the menu below the main screen on this page: http://jt.france2.fr/13h/