Transfer by shuttle taxi to the Library of French Protestantism in Paris

History and visit the Library of French Protestantism in Paris

Library of French Protestantism is a specialized documentation center located at 54 rue des Saints-Peres, in the district of Musée d’Orsay and Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It belongs to the 7th arrondissement of Paris. The library is a branch of the Society for the History of French Protestantism (SHPF), a learned society founded by Fernand de Schickler in 1852 in order to evoke the memory of Protestantism through documents and objects it retains. The library was created in 1866. It has over a hundred thousand compounds books books, archival documents, manuscripts, prints and graphic materials that document the history of French Protestantism from the sixteenth century to the present day. Besides the books, the library also maintains a large collection of paintings and medals. This site is served by bus lines 39, 63, 70, 84, 87, 95 and 96 as well as the resort of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

At its inception in 1866, the library of French Protestantism settled on Place Vendome. It was open to the public until 1869, only once a week. She had about fifteen thousand volumes in 1877. Three years later, Nathaniel Weiss, a member of the committee was chosen as a librarian, a position he held for forty-three years. He had a mission to make available the library two afternoons per week. In 1885, Fernand de Schickler bought a building that served as garment factory, then filing Shopping on the Rue des Saints-Peres. The building was built by Louis-Auguste Boileau between 1869 and 1873. Schickler offered the building to the SHPF and transformed into a library. The refurbishments allowed to have a large reading room of 21 m long and 11 m wide. It behaved two levels of galleries and surrounded by bookshelves. She arranged a large table in length, with lamp, can accommodate more than two players. In early 1886, the library was open to workers during the first four afternoons a week. Besides the various collections of pamphlets, manuscripts or periodicals, the library of French Protestantism inclosed over twenty-seven thousand books in 1902. From 1908, it began digitizing its books. Despite the death of the founder president Fernand de Schickler in 1909, the library has continued its activities until now.

The collections of the Library of French Protestantism are enriched by purchases, donations and legacies. Although it is a private library, it is in close collaboration with other French and foreign libraries, that they are private or public. Part of the network of Protestant libraries, it is a complement to the library of the Institute of Protestant Theology. It should be noted that it gives a lot of attention on the acquisition of academic work such as dissertations studies. The library is open Monday through Wednesday from 14 am to 18 pm Thursday 10 am to 18 pm and Friday from 13 h 30 to 17 h 30. From September 2013 it will be open Monday through Wednesday from 13 am to 17: 30 pm and Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am to 17 pm 30. Only on-site consultation is allowed. Files, catalogs and base are available free while documents stored in stores require the submission of a pay card reader.