The Cinq-Avenues library in the 4th arrondissement of Marseille finally reopens ! This Saturday, April 2, Marseille residents will once again be able to enjoy the 20,000 books and 8,000 multimedia works that line the shelves of this library. Closed for lack of staff in March 2020, it reopens after more than two years of shutdown. A reopening which follows that of the Panier library in September 2021. The nine Marseille libraries are therefore finally accessible.
A possible reopening thanks to a recruitment plan launched by the city of Marseille. Five new agents have been specially recruited for the Cinq-Avenues library. Jean-Marc Coppola, the PCF assistant for culture in Marseille, hopes for more. He wants to hire 20 people a year, by the end of the mandate. Currently the city has 220 agents, dedicated solely to libraries. According to him, 100 more people are needed by 2026. The goal is to extend the opening hours of existing libraries. The elected official is also considering the creation of a tenth library in the Bougainville district.
A necessary catch-up. Marseille is a dunce cap of public reading. Compared to the national average, Marseille has a large deficit in libraries. However, less populated cities such as Lyon or Toulouse have 15 and 21 libraries respectively.