Christine Boutin appointed to new role

Christine Boutin has been appointed as the head of the French National Bibliography (Books) within the Department of Legal Deposit of the French National Library (BnF), effective since October 1st. She brings extensive experience in public administration and knowledge management from her previous roles at various institutions.

Boutin's responsibilities and recent trends

Boutin’s new role involves overseeing the cataloging of tens of thousands of books annually, including both printed and digital formats. The BnF received 77,341 printed books and 2,606 digital books via legal deposit in 2025, a decrease from the 85,197 printed books received in the previous year.

New cataloging system and standards

The BnF has recently implemented a new cataloging tool named Noemi, replacing its previous system and transitioning to new bibliographic standards, including the IFLA LRM model, the RDA-FR cataloging code, and the Intermarc-NG format. This transition required a temporary interruption of notice production in spring 2026.

Library developments across the globe

Other notable developments in the library world include the exceeding of 7 million registered users in public libraries in France, the passing of Claire Tailliart, a former president of the Normandy ABF, and the ongoing efforts in Lebanon to collect 40,000 books for the reconstruction of destroyed libraries.

Library challenges and innovations

In Russia, there are concerns that up to 70% of municipal library collections could be removed from general access due to restrictions on certain publications. Meanwhile, in Saint-Petersburg, the Library of Illustrated Books is hosting an event where artist's books and engravings are displayed in unconventional formats.

Local library events and changes

In Aix-en-Provence, all municipal libraries were closed due to a bed bug infestation. In Roubaix, a new eco-friendly bibliobus, the "Zébron," has been introduced to replace the retiring "Zèbre." In Mexico, the government has allocated 50 million pesos to renew public library collections, favoring independent and small publishers.

Library usage and market trends

In Greece, library loan numbers have increased, but the collection is aging, with incomplete statistical data. In Italy, the comic book market has seen a 14.9% increase in sales, with one out of ten books sold being a comic. In China, a court case has addressed the use of AI in adapting a text into an animated series without the rights holder's consent.

AI and publishing debates

In the United States, the independent publisher Apateon Press has proposed a model for republishing books without fees, offering 15% of the public price to authors. In France, the debate over AI-generated literature has intensified, with a survey indicating that 69% of the French do not consider AI-written texts as real literature.