Today was one of those days that could never be planned. Nothing super special happened but everything went perfectly and the weather was gorgeous. AND we went to the Mediatheque. Below is a link to the main library site but it includes all the info you need about the Mediatheque.
http://www.bibliothequedetoulouse.fr/index.jsp
The Mediatheque is a part of the library system in Toulouse. It is like a giant library but it includes everything multimedia as well. You can go and check out books and magazines like a regular library. They also have a large section of books in other languages so you can check things out in English or in Spanish if you wish.
They have so many magazines and many devoted to art, culture, and design in many languages. You can also check out DVD’s but really there are so many to choose from and from all over the world. Of course with DVD’s you can play it in any language you like or subtitle it in any language you like. The only drawback is that you can only check out 1 DVD at a time. You can keep it for 3 weeks though. I would prefer if they shortened the time and increased the amount you could take out.
The music section includes music from all over the world as well. It is as large as most Tower Records stores were. The music section is really huge. There are all styles represented. You can check out 5 CD’s at a time.
There is a languages section that includes language practice workbooks, grammar books, verb conjugation books, test prep books, and even software that can be checked out for not just French but MANY languages.
They even have areas where you can sit and watch a DVD if you don’t want to check it out. They have computer workstations as well.
I guess this all sounds like a normal library of the 21st century but I haven’t been in one like that ever. They also host many cultural events, talks, debates, they show films, host art installations, and many other events.
On top of all this the building is new and it is very pretty. I think the public collections cover about 5 floors. It is contemporary and sits at the bottom of a hill where a beautiful boulevard begins, there is a contemporary arch, and new housing is being built around it. It also sits on top a of metro stop, Marengo, for easy access, although it was a 10 minute bike ride from our house. I will have to take some pictures because I couldn’t find pictures on the website that did it any justice.
Of course I assumed it had wireless access, as I was dreaming of spending many afternoons there with my laptop, perusing the collections, updating this blog, etc , but no. There is not only no public free access but the librarian said there is no network at all. Kinda strange because they thought of every other modern convenience. Maybe that is coming, but I did see a fair number of computers that were free so maybe it is not needed because they have so many computer workstations. If you ever are in Toulouse you must go visit the Mediatheque. It is free to go and it costs 15€ a year to check things out. I’m going to take a bunch of pictures and make a gallery because the location is really nice.
Popularity: 5% [?]
Perhaps the Mediatheque is a having the same problem libraries in the US have, sometimes things leave but they don’t come back. Before I saw the building in person, I saw a picture of it in which it appeared that the street ran right through the building. Actually, when you’re walking up Allées Jean Jaurès, it appears that way also.
I recently retired from working in the Broward County Library system. The Main Library is eight floors. There are 37 branches. The larger branches (called Regionals) have all the same amenities as the Mediatheque, but they’re totally free. I don’t know if it’s true in France, but here, if the library doesn’t have the material you want, they can have it sent from any other library in the country through a system called Interlibrary Loan (ILL).
I guess I found it unique that I could find DVD’s of all kinds including ones that many Americans would find offensive and therefore unlikely to be available in a library. I counted 12 Passolini films, the entire Absolutely Fabulous collection, and various other R and not rated films. Maybe I am way off base but i doubt I’d find similar things in most US libraries.
I found magazines in nearly 10 languages, including some obscure Italian design magazines and even Art in America, of course in English. Not just one or two per genre but 10-20 per genre and some more. Really comprehensive collection. I was thinking about subscribing to a magazine or two to practice reading in French but why bother, they have so many to choose form and in all interest areas.
The CD’s were amazing. All styles of music, the uncensored versions, not filtered and sorted for decency. Clearly I’m indecent as I place so much value on being able to obtain questionable material.
I think the location is great with a modern Arc de Triomphe and the perspective as you come up the hill and then it levels off and then you can continue looking up the hill towards Jolimont. I think it is nice. I feel a photo gallery coming on.
Maybe I had written off libraries long ago and hadn’t given them a chance recently but this felt so different to me. I used to take my students to their neighborhood libraries to show them how easy it was to sign up for a card and check out books, also because we certainly didn’t have a library in the schools where I worked. I can guarantee you none of the branches I went to in Oakland or in Philadelphia looked like this or had the collection the Médiatheque had.
[...] Toulouse has a great mediateque, Mediatheque Jose Cabanis. Aside from borrowing books, cds, dvds, software, magazines, language tutorials, and other things, you can also watch dvds there, use the computers, listen to music, see a lecture, view an art exhibit, etc. I wrote a post about it here. [...]
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