and on public holidays and there are regularly
queues of people waiting two to three hours for the library to open (as there
was on the day we visited). The library is under the direction of the French
Ministry of Culture and is a general information resource. Its services are
managed on the principles of freedom of access (no registration formalities),
currency of resources (regular ‘weeding’ and renewal of stock), evidence based
practice (informed by regular public surveys and research) and cutting-edge
technologies (including the availability of assistive technologies for people
with disabilities).

Before leaving for Paris, I made a virtual visit to the
Bpi library via the Web and was impressed by the video which introduces
visitors to the library services using sign language and sub-titles for deaf
people. Visiting the library in reality helped me to understand howsuccessfully
colour coding and space planning is used to ensure greater access to all. Not
only are there colour codes for the broad subject areas of the library, but
also for the utility services which are part of the unique architecture of the
Pompidou Centre (blue pipes for water, green for air, etc). The Bpi has seating
for 2,200 readers and a counter at the entrance keeps a tally of the number
of people in the building. Similar to a very busy car park, when the maximum
permitted number is reached, potential readers must wait outside until a space
becomes available. How many libraries in the UK have queues of people waiting
two to three hours to use its services?

The library of the oldest hospital in Paris is on a much smaller scale than
the Bpi at the