Exposition « La fabrique des collections » : les dons à la bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève

Discover in the hall of the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève this new exhibition, which, through around a hundred books and archive items, reveals the history of donations and the valuable enrichment of its encyclopaedic collections by its readers and patrons.

Heir to the collections of the abbey of the same name, which bear the mark of major donations and were preserved for the Nation by the French Revolution, the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève saw its role strengthened by the award of the Dépôt légal imprimeur in 1828 and then by its move in 1851 into the setting built to measure by Henri Labrouste.

The administrators and curators then set out an ambitious and coherent policy for enriching the holdings thus brought together.

Alongside routine purchases and institutional acquisitions such as subscriptions and exchanges, donations hold an essential place: substantial collections built up over the years by collectors, scholars or publishing professionals, but also a few books offered by modest readers who wish to give back to the library what it has given them, namely the widest possible access to an encyclopaedic and universal collection.

It is this dynamic, still at work today, and these privileged relationships with a diverse readership that the exhibition of around a hundred books, objects and archive items invites you to discover.

Free admission by reservation during the opening hours of the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève.