Shows how l'Heure Joyeuse, a children's library started in Paris in 1923 as a gift from U.S. philanthropists, became a model of open-access, user-oriented public libraries. L'Heure Joyeuse's unique role in the development of public libraries in France from before 1900 to the present is described. (41 references) (EAM)

Discusses political and cultural battles over the role of a national library in France and the future direction and function of libraries in general. Uses accounts from the press to trace changes in the project as well as ways in which it influenced French librarianship. Contains 34 references. (Author/LRW)

Seven of these ten papers are concerned with library research in specific countries; the remaining three deal with library planning and ethics in research. Titles are "The Library as a Cultural Institution," by Jadwiga Kolodziejska, Poland; "The International Seminar 'Book and Library in Society' of the Polish Book and Readers…

The "information revolution" has brought in its wake a reassessment of the role and function of the traditional school library. The possibilities opened up by the new technologies have combined with new approaches to teaching and learning so that the library is no longer a mere repository of books to be visited when classes are over;…

This paper examines the place of oral heritage in France. The first section provides an overview of oral collections in France from the early 1900s to the present. The study of oral materials is then discussed in the second section, including: research centers within universities or high schools; activities of the Ministry of Culture; development…