Libraries and archives

The Collège de France has an extensive documentation network comprising an archives department, twelve specialist libraries and cross-functional units (interlibrary loans, bibliometrics and online resources, etc.). It also holds a collection of artefacts consisting of scientific instruments and works of art. The Directorate of Libraries, Archives and Collections (DBAC) coordinates these resources and supports or leads projects relating to digitisation, exhibitions, the modernisation of research tools, open science and partnerships with other institutions: the National Archives, the National Library of France, the National Library of Taiwan, the Louvre Museum, the town of Montgeron, etc.

It maintains a research blog entitled ‘Colligere’ to showcase the collections and encourage research into the holdings. It acts as the point of contact for national and international bodies in the fields of documentation and archives (ministries and supervisory departments, the Higher Education Bibliographic Agency for the Sudoc and Calames networks, the National Archives for the FranceArchives portal, etc.). It assesses matters relating to librarianship, archiving and museum work, and makes its expertise available to the institution.

The libraries and departments are spread across two sites: 11, Marcelin-Berthelot Site, housing the heritage library, the museum collection, the Research Services and Online Resources Department, and the Archives Department; 52, rue du Cardinal-Lemoine, which houses the specialist libraries in the humanities and social sciences, organised into four clusters alongside the chairs and research teams within the Institute of Civilizations.