Library

The library offers the PLEIADES portal to access the library catalog and personal reader account area.

Created at the very origin of the École du Louvre in 1882, refurbished in 1932 and housed since 1972 in the Aile de Flore of the Palais du Louvre, the library was refurbished in 1998 during the Grand Louvre project, which relocated the entire École du Louvre to the Aile de Flore (architect: Antoine Stinco). The École du Louvre library underwent a major overhaul in 2021 (architect: Helene Haart). As a university library specializing in art history, archaeology and museology, the library's mission is to build up a multi-media documentary collection to support teaching at the École du Louvre, and to preserve the institution's specific heritage collections. Access is exclusively reserved for students, teachers, École du Louvre researchers and accredited researchers. Alongside the classrooms and museums, the library is the third fundamental place for student life at the École.

The project involved optimizing library spaces, updating the documentary policy and adapting operations in line with current documentary research practices, it enabled:

• To offer more seating in spaces adapted to different work or relaxation postures;
• To enhance the digital offering while maintaining the formative relationship with books;
• To redesign the public space, reserves and offices;
• To innovate in technological terms (connectivity, automatons, IT..);
• Fostering free access to documents and reader autonomy;
• Optimizing study conditions;
• Providing group work spaces and organizing training in documentary research;
• Improving reception and study conditions in an aesthetic and eco-responsible setting.

It was in 2016, that Majid Boustany forged a first partnership with the École du Louvre, via the creation of a research scholarship on painter Francis Bacon. Continuing his philanthropic approach, Majid Boustany wished to amplify his commitment by financing this ambitious program, which provides the school with an essential strategic asset for its future national and international influence. This exceptional patronage is complemented by the donation of two sculptures by Antony Gormley and Francis Bacon's easel, which will take their place in the library and its vestibule.

On March 11, 2022, the École du Louvre inaugurated an ambitious architectural project (a library, research center and living spaces) spearheaded by Claire Barbillon, Director of the École du Louvre and made possible by the exceptional patronage of Majid Boustany, President of the Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation.

This is the largest support ever allocated to an educational institution by the Ministry of Culture. As such, these new spaces were inaugurated on March 11, 2022 by Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, Minister of Culture.

Conditions of access

The library is accessible:

• to students and teachers of the École du Louvre, as well as to students of the preparatory class for the curatorial competition, with their valid card
• to outside readers by appointment (on-site consultation only)

Hours

Open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 7:00 pm.

• Home loan from 9:00 am to 6:45 pm.
• Communication of works from the silo: request to be made the previous day before 5:00 pm, consultation Monday to Friday from 9:00 am.

Annual closure: one week between Christmas and New Year's Day and two weeks at the beginning of August.
Reduced opening hours in July and August.

Two online documentary environments

The library offers two distinct online environments:

• the Moodle library portal offers tools to help with documentary research, complementing the on-site training courses.
• the PLEIADES portal for access to the library catalog and personal reader account area.