France is home to approximately 15,500 libraries spread across its 35,000 communes, with one in every 40 communes having a library. According to a study by the Centre de recherche pour l’étude et l’observation des conditions de vie (Credoc), published last year on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, 37% of French people visited a library or a media library in the past year. These libraries have nearly 7 million registered users, many of whom will be celebrated during the third edition of Biblis en folie, an event honoring library patrons from Friday to Sunday. Among the most notable is the Oval Room at the Richelieu site, the historical home of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BNF) in Paris’s 2nd arrondissement. This architectural marvel, built at the beginning of the 20th century, features an oval reading space measuring 43.70 meters by 32.80 meters and 18 meters in height. After six years of renovation, it reopened in September 2022 and now offers over 20,000 books for free consultation and 160 reading spots. Its large central glass roof allows natural light to flood the space, creating a welcoming atmosphere for readers. The Sainte-Geneviève library, or BSG as it is affectionately known, is another historical gem located in Paris’s Latin Quarter. Designed by Henri Labrouste in the mid-19th century, it is classified as a Historic Monument and houses about two million documents across various fields. The library honors Victor Schoelcher, a politician who played a key role in abolishing slavery in France in 1848. In Martinique, the Schoelcher library stands as a unique example of historical preservation. Built in Paris’s Tuileries Garden in 1887, it was later disassembled, transported by boat, and reassembled in Fort-de-France, where it was inaugurated in 1893. Its colorful façade and eclectic architecture house a collection of 10,000 books and 250 musical scores left behind by Victor Schoelcher. The Mazarine library, established in 1643, is the oldest public library in France. Located on quai Conti in Paris’s 6th arrondissement, it holds a rich collection of around 600,000 documents, including nearly 180,000 printed volumes from before 1800. The National and University Library of Strasbourg, one of only two libraries in France with the national label, is another architectural and cultural treasure. With a documentary collection of nearly four million items stored across 70 kilometers of shelving, it was renovated in 2016 and added to the UNESCO World Heritage list the following year. Designed by the architect who created Brasília, the library is a striking example of modernist design.