Abstract
Public libraries in France are experiencing unprecedented growth: in 25 years (1971-1996) 1,400,000 m of accommodation has been constructed for municipal libraries (an increase from 355,000 m to 1,719,000 m2); staffing has grown from 3,000 employees to 17,000; the number of registered users has risen from 1,182,000 to 6,449,000. For all that, the situation does not give rise to unquestioning optimism. Two concerns exercise librarians and their governing bodies: on one hand the identity of the library, historically complex and currently more and more unsettled; on the other hand economic, technical and political developments which are creating growing tensions between the demands made on libraries and what they can actually supply.
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