France

A street view of a historic building with arched windows next to a modern glass and stone structure. Three people sit on benches in the foreground while two others walk by the buildings.

Bibliothèque humaniste de Sélestat

Since 1889, the former granary of the Alsatian town of Sélestat holds a unique collection documenting a long humanist tradition.
A spacious library interior with large arched windows, wooden floors, red bookshelves, a central information desk, a clock on the back wall, and several people reading or working at tables.

Bibliothèque d’étude et du patrimoine de Toulouse

Completed in 1935, the Art Déco Toulouse research library is a rare example of libraries built in France during the interwar period.
Large, modern library with rows of tables where many people are seated, studying or using laptops. Bookshelves are visible in the background. The ceiling has visible blue ducts and industrial lighting.

Bibliothèque Publique d’Information du Centre Pompidou

One of the world's most recognizable museums, Paris' Centre Pompidou is also home to the largest public library in the city.
Exterior of a Modernist university campus showing a four-story rectangular building with a facade of alternating bands of windows and green metal panels. The building is topped with a two-story structure covered with a concrete openwork screen. The same screen is repeated in front of a low building to the right of the main structure, and on either side of its porte cochère, on which the words "Faculté de médecine" can be read. The word "Bibliothèque" is stencilled one letter at a time on the top windows. Students are show exiting the building on a paved plaza in front.

Bibliothèque de santé, Université de Strasbourg

The campus of the Strasbourg faculty of medicine signalled the postwar renaissance of a storied institution.
A spacious former industrial building interior with high arched ceilings, glass walls, and open walkways. A central staircase leads to upper levels, with workspaces and offices visible on both sides. The area is well-lit and empty.

Bibliothèque UHA La Fonderie, Mulhouse

From heavy industry to a foundry of ideas, this symbol of the "French Manchester" is now a bustling university campus.
A contemporary, multilevel library with curved balconies and tall white columns. Filled bookshelves and colourful seats contrast against the grey and white surroundings. Natural light comes from large windows at the back.

Le Studium, Strasbourg

This undulating shape marks the entrance to a landmark postwar campus.
Exterior of a Provençal house fronted by a formal garden.

Médiathèque d’Arles

The hospital where Vincent Van Gogh was treated in Arles is now a cultural centre with a library occupying a surprising space.
Exterior of a contemporary library. It has a wavy concrete facade with clusters of small irregular windows on a glass pedestal.

Médiathèque La Passerelle, Vitrolles

This library near Marseilles is the face of urban renewal for a neighbourhood once blighted by rapid growth and destructive politics.
Exterior of a traditional French bastide house in a lush green park, with trees in the foreground.

Bibliothèque les Deux-Ormes – Aix-en-Provence

Near Cézanne's childhood home west of Aix-en-Provence, this former bastide serves as neighbourhood library since 1993.
Interior of a library in a stone vaulted space with white modern bookshelves on wheels. A fresco showing a bathing scene is on the back wall.

Bibliothèque Méjanes – Halle aux Grains, Aix-en-Provence

From granary to post office to public library, the stone vaults of the Halle aux Grains in Aix-en-Provence still offer a welcome oasis of calm next to the busy market square.
Interior of an industrial space converted into a library with a multistory roof lit by clerestory windows supported on iron beams and poles. A mezzanine crosses the space with stairs on either side. We see bookshelves at the back and a service counter with two people interacting at the front.

Bibliothèque Méjanes – Allumettes, Aix-en-Provence

A former safety match factory has been home to the Aix en Provence public library since 1989. Soon to be renovated, this space is a beautiful example of adaptive reuse of industrial spaces.
Interior view of a patrimonial library with rows of oak bookshelves filled with ancient books on either side and an antique globe in the middle.

Bibliothèque multimédia intercommunale d’Épinal

This public library in Vosges is built around a treasury chest: an unique collection dating back to the first millennium and its 18th century shelves.
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