Libraries and Archives

The Collège de France has an extensive information network consisting of an archives department, twelve specialized libraries, and cross-functional units (interlibrary loan, bibliometrics, and online resources, etc.). It also maintains a collection of objects, including scientific instruments and works of art. The Department of Libraries, Archives, and Collections (DBAC) coordinates these resources and supports or leads projects related to digitization, exhibitions, the modernization of research tools, open science, and partnerships with other institutions, including the National Archives, the National Library of France, the National Library of Taiwan, the Louvre Museum, and the City of Montgeron.

It maintains a research blog titled “Colligere” to showcase the collections and encourage research on the holdings. It serves as the point of contact for national and international bodies in the fields of documentation and archives (ministries and overseeing agencies, the Higher Education Bibliographic Agency for the Sudoc and Calames networks, the National Archives for the FranceArchives portal, etc.). It reviews matters related to library science, archival science, and museum studies, and makes its expertise available to the institution.

The libraries and departments are located at two sites: 11 Place Marcelin-Berthelot, which houses the heritage library, the museum collection, the Department of Research Services and Online Resources, and the Archives Department; 52 Rue du Cardinal-Lemoine, which houses the specialized libraries in the humanities and social sciences, organized into four clusters alongside the chairs and research teams within the Institute of Civilizations.