September is here, meaning la rentrée is upon us! The librarians did get a bit of summer sun during the August closure, but mostly we were here, wrestling the books into order and getting them ready for your return. While you were gone, we made some exciting changes to make the library work better for you, our patrons. Read on to catch up, and come by to see for yourself!

Bonjour jeunesse

Some of you may have already noticed a new bookshelf by the window in the children’s room. This is our new section for board books, or livres cartonnés. Parents had been asking us if we had a special board book section, so we took the leap and made it happen! These thick cardboard pages can stand up to the most voracious of toddler readers. Tiny bibliophiles will positively devour these (though we ask not literally!).

Board book shelves by the window Our favorite characters, not to be left behind, have shuffled around too. Our most popular series are now in the wooden shelves in the center of the room. Here you can find the likes of T’choupi, Petit Ours Brun, Barbapapa, Martine, and more.

Also on the end shelves are our oversize books, the largest books in the room, the ones that are taller than some of our visitors. The bigger the book, the bigger the fun!

In the teen hallway, a new bookshelf has been added for poetry, plays, teen magazines, and oversize chapter books. The move gives us lots of room to add future YA reads!

Top-drawer DVDs and games

As you walk through our film section, you’ll notice that the center shelf of DVDs has been replaced with a set of drawers. Pull them out to browse and flip through the covers.

The games have moved from carts to another set of drawers. We now have plenty of space to play with as we add new games!

Novel bookshelves

Next time you browse the stacks in our salle des romans, you may notice that the books aren’t quite so cramped. That’s thanks to a whole new bookshelf to the right of the fireplace, giving our novels room to breathe.

On the back of the new shelves, you’ll find our French poetry magnets! Compose un vers ou deux, and watch this space for new library activities.

The music CDs have been moved from their drawers (now being used for DVDs and games) to a rotating tower matching the one for audiobooks on CD. Give it a spin - you might find your new favorite song!

Nonfiction en rayon

Enfin et surtout, our graphic novels have moved to make way for a new section. Books on social sciences - including political science, economics, and etiquette - are now housed in the front room. This move gives us much more space in the back room (through the children’s room), which we’re still fixing up for more desk space! But don’t worry, bande dessinées are here to stay. They now live on the wall furthest from the windows, giving you more room to browse.

And finally, on your way out, check out our new and improved bulletin board for information and announcements about the médiathèque !

We hope these changes will make the library more inviting and easier to use for everyone who visits. If you’d like to see all these changes in person, come to our Open House on September 12!

Questions? Comments? Drop us a note on our bulletin board, send us an email, or let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. Bonne rentrée !

Elizabeth Taft

Library Assistant

Elizabeth has a B.A. in French from Wellesley College and is studying Library and Information Science at Simmons University. During a year in Aix-en-Provence she hiked Mont Sainte-Victoire, volunteered at a short film festival, and attended France's largest book fair. Her work at the French Library combines her love of language and libraries.

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