Mapping of music collections in France

Almost 1,400 institutions possess music collections in metropolitan France. Because of the nature of these collections (books, scores, audiovisual media, archives), which is often determined by the statutes of the libraries that offer them, and their missions, importance and location, five large categories of institution are put in a prominent position; their geographical distribution is very uneven, and the support they receive is fragmented, depending on their clienteles. This specific national topography, which is not well adapted to new cultural practices, justifies the recent development of other kinds of institution - multimedia libraries and music centres of information.
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