Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

La Petite Bibliothèque Ronde, originally called La Joie par les livres, was founded in 1965 in the Plaine district of Clamart, thanks to the patronage of Anne Gruner Schlumberger. Designed as a space dedicated to children, it is distinguished by its unique architecture, signed by the Atelier de Montrouge (Gérard Thurnauer, Jean Renaudie, Pierre Riboulet, Jean-Louis Véret), composed of nine curved concrete cylinders. Its furniture, designed by Alvar Aalto, and its organization in round rooms aim to create a warm and secure environment, like a "second house" for young readers. From its opening, the library innovates by integrating children as librarians and developing a pedagogy focused on cultural empowerment and openness.

The library quickly gained international recognition, thanks in particular to its multilingual fund and its exchanges with foreign professionals. In the 1980s, she became a pioneer in digital integration, with MacIntosh computers and a multimedia mediator in 2002. Despite threats of closure in 2006 and 2016, linked to conflicts with local communities, it survived through the mobilization of residents and intellectuals. Ranked a historic monument in 2009, it remains a model for artistic education and access to reading for children, while adapting its missions to the digital age.

Today, the Petite Bibliothèque Ronde focuses its actions on three areas: the awakening of toddlers, the artistic education of the 3-12 year olds, and the fight against inequalities in access to books. It offers workshops, partnerships "outside the walls", and training for professionals, while maintaining its architectural and educational heritage. Its furniture and building, protected, embody an avant-garde vision of the library as a place of life and emancipation.

The association that manages it, chaired successively by Geneviève Patte and Olivier Ponsoye, continues its commitment to innovation, as evidenced by the Youth Digital Book Award launched in 2010. The library remains a symbol of cultural resistance, as the documentary shows. The library is ours (2015), awarded at the Sicilia Ambiente Festival. Its history reflects tensions between heritage preservation and local political issues, while confirming its status as a global reference in youth library.

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