Four library directors present the Plaine Commune network, covering a number of suburbs north of Paris. The network offers 25 multimedia libraries and 3 mobile libraries, serving a population of nearly 400,000 inhabitants representing 134 different nationalities. Given such a disparate population, what rules can libraries draw up so that all sectors of the community can make the most of the service? The priority remains encouraging people to engage with reading: the Plaine Commune network considers the role of libraries as encouraging social diversity and cohesion, with leisure pursuits, lifelong learning, and sociability just as important as the cultural practices usually associated with the service. The article looks at the consultation process involving the library teams that led to three documents being drawn up – a set of library rules, a welcoming statement for users, and a tool kit for the network’s 280 or so staff members aimed at harmonising the user experience across the library system.
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