Decentralization and the public libraries : the libraries of the "départements"

This report studies the effects of decentralization on the national organizations libraries such as : transfer of the central lending libraries from the Government to the "départements", changes in the status of their staff, cutting out of the state subsidies for equipment and administration of the municipal libraries, and reduction of the Government control. If decentralization can give rise to more vitality in the townships and the "départements", if the different regions can play an important part in coordination and impulse, some problems must not be neglected : - the lack of any policy fixing the public rights, the aims of the national organizations as well as the inciting and coordinating action of the Governement, - the lack of adaptation of the public libraries to the needs, and the financial problems. After a survey of the current situation and a study of the updating of the years 1982-1986, the report: - recommends the adoption of a policy on public libraries, exposes the grounds for it, and specifies its content. - determines the missions of the government regarding personnel, supervision, assessment of services, importance of the national cultural heritage, cooperation between libraries, development of new technologies; it also proposes a sharing out of the duties (tasks) between the central government and the local authorities, and the creation of a national structure of cooperation. - exposes the reasons for implementing the cooperation between libraries, at a national and local level, and studies its functions. - requests from the ministry of Culture the establishment of a national council for public libraries, whose action would consist in evaluating and advising, and where national organizations and professionals would be represented.
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