Interview
Last Tuesday, for its fifty years of existence, the Ranloue media library wanted to honor Josette Le Bihan, the one who started it all, in 1974.
How did you come up with the idea of creating a library in Saint-Barthélemy-d’Anjou?
Josette Le Bihan: “My husband, treasurer at the Municipal Office for Culture and Leisure, first had the idea of creating a library since one did not exist. We both loved reading. I remember that as a child, as my family was not very rich, a neighbor lent me a book by Jules Verne. My mother made me return it, before I finished reading it, because I had to take care of my little sister. »
Was it complicated to set up this library?
“Very few libraries existed in the region in the early 1970s. I only remember Denée’s, so we didn’t have too many models. First, we had to find books. I first took my daughter’s, from the Pink and Green Libraries, because we had only received a small grant. Then an opportunity presented itself. We subscribed to Rencontre editions, which published paperback books. As this house had just been purchased, the representative sold us the stock for a modest sum. The rest of the books were purchased in a bookstore on Boulevard Foch. We then established an inventory book, which still exists and whose first title is “Working two hours a day” by Adret published by Editions du Seuil, as well as files kept manually. »
Was this library installed in the current location of the media library?
“No, Mr. Gilles, the mayor at the time had made two small rooms of approximately 10 and 15 m² available to us in the town hall. For D-Day, my son had distributed leaflets in the town. What was my surprise when I saw the town hall courtyard full of people on the opening day! The move didn’t happen until 1999.”
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