a union denounces a freeze on orders in municipal libraries, the town hall defends itself

One of the Paris library staff unions denounces a lack of resources and a freezing of book orders. The Town Hall evokes a simple prioritization

“After the Olympics, is there any more money for libraries?” This is the question asked by one of the Parisian library staff unions. The latter denounces a lack of resources and warns of the freezing of orders until next March.

“And the invoices for orders already delivered would not have been paid on time (or even not paid),” adds the SUPAP-FSU union.

According to the union’s press release, agents learned on September 26 that “all orders for adult or children’s books, DVDs, CDs or even scores are blocked.”

For its part, the Paris town hall “hears the concerns”, but refutes any reduction in the budget or a freeze.

A new library readjusts the budget

Carine Rolland, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of culture, explains that “the overall budget for purchases dedicated to works in libraries and media libraries is maintained, and even slightly increased”. “Our intention is not to reduce the budget next year,” she adds.

However, the opening of a new library in the 19th arrondissement pushed the city to distribute its budget differently.

“At the start of the year, we prioritized purchases for the opening of a new establishment. This requires spreading out expenses and not eliminating them,” explains the elected official.

Orders postponed to 2025

Orders are not completely frozen, but only “prioritized”. According to the town hall, this has “no significant impact on the quality and richness of the offer within the city’s library network”. Certain orders may therefore be postponed to 2025.

Currently, Paris City Hall grants 178 million euros for the city’s cultural policy, excluding salaries.