Library of the Department of La Reunion
The Building
The Library of the Department of La Reunion is the oldest library in the island. It was originally the Colonial Library, created in 1855 by Governor Hubert Delisle who collated works from the Private Council Library and the Colonial Council Library to form a new collection of 4500 volumes. The Library of the Department of La Reunion has been housed in a colonial-style building in the city centre of Saint-Denis since 1937.
In 2009 the Departmental Library of La Reunion was restored and extended in a contemporary style. Its new wing is a large copper-covered cube and has a 1700 m2 surface area. The public can use 2 reading rooms, a multimedia area, a current affairs area, a conference hall, an exhibition gallery, and two spaces for organized activities. The two gardens are laid out to welcome all readers, offering them a quiet moment of relaxation in the shade.
The Collections
The Library of the Department of La Reunion is today a historical library specializing in the Indian Ocean islands, the Creole world and French colonial history. Since 1969 it has been a legal deposit library and an associate centre of the Bibliothèque nationale de France for whom it collects all printed materials from La Reunion. The result of this history and legal status is that the Departmental Library of La Reunion has exceptionally rich collections of over 100 000 documents.
Historical Collections
- legal deposit documents, (monographs, periodicals, maps and charts, music scores, posters, postcards)
- Colonial Library collections (19th century to the beginning of the 20th century)
- Historic books about La Reunion, Mauritius, Madagascar, the Seychelles Islands
- Periodicals from Reunion and the Indian Ocean area before 1946
- Periodicals which form part of the Regional Press Conservation Plan
- Special Collections
- Manuscripts.
Contemporary Collections
- Works from La Reunion
- Documents pertaining to La Reunion and the Indian Ocean
- Regional, national and international periodicals
- Documents from the Indian Ocean islands.
Aims
- Collecting La Reunion printed materials
- Interpreting literature from La Reunion
- Publicising local authors and their works through meet-the-author sessions, residencies and writing workshops
- Enabling new literary works
- Being a resource centre for publishing in La Reunion
- Writing and publishing bibliographies and historical reference works
- Document and information exchanges within the Indian Ocean (Mauritius, Madagascar, the Comoros Islands, the Seychelles Islands, Mozambique and Mayotte
- Promoting the French language in the Indian Ocean
- Collaborating with cultural organisations in France and abroad: Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Centre National de la Littérature Jeunesse, Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie
Organised Activities for the Public
- Education sessions about the printed heritage of the Indian Ocean (from literature to travel) for all ages
- Workshops introducing the world of the book and its techniques: bookbinding, calligraphy, engraving and writing
- Exhibitions on themes highlighting the treasures of the Library
- Academic conferences
Services at a distance
- Providing information about documents by phone, fax, post, or email
- Drafting bibliographies
- Photocopies (depending on the condition and the age of the document).
Additional Information
On-site consultation of CINDOC Computerized catalogue.
Dewey classification
Contact
Bibliothèque
départementale de La Réunion
52, rue Roland Garros
97400 Saint-denis de La Réunion
bdr@cg974.fr
T : 02 62 21 13 96
F : 02 62 21 54 63