Great interview with Marie Grégoire | Taking care of books…and humans

Appointed head of BAnQ in July 2021, Marie Grégoire looks back with our columnist on the first three years of her mandate. On his agenda: books, archives, digitization and… roaming. Our columnist met her.

Three years ago almost to the day, the appointment of Marie Grégoire as head of BAnQ did not go unnoticed. The arrival of the commentator of the Ex Club at the head of the institution which includes the Grande Bibliothèque, the Bibliothèque nationale and the Archives nationales (10 sites across Quebec) had sparked strong criticism, particularly within the library community.

When I ask the former ADQ member how she experienced this tumultuous period, the response is immediate.

“I won’t say I didn’t think about different options,” she continues. But ultimately, I said to myself: no, I really want to take on this challenge. I want to use my experience as an entrepreneur and manager, and I hope that at the end, when I finish my mandate, people will say: she made her way, she moved the institution forward . »

Shadow files

Marie Grégoire wants to make it clear: she did not take up her position with the intention of revolutionizing the institution, any more than the Grande Bibliothèque, inaugurated by Lise Bissonnette. “We are not revolutionizing BAnQ,” observes the CEO. We follow in the footsteps of those who came before us. »

That said, she had her work cut out for her: some not very “sexy” files were waiting for her on her desk, such as the modernization of the computer network and everything that even remotely relates to the digital transformation for which BAnQ received significant subsidies, which allowed it, among other things, to increase the number of visits to its website from 11 million to 15 million in one year.

The other less visible issue that occupied Marie Grégoire: storage. The library collections are growing, but the space itself remains the same.

Added to this are meetings with different ministries, international guests, and cultural activities of all kinds. Don’t worry about Marie Grégoire, she’s not bored for a single second. ” What I like the most ? The diversity of my work,” she replies, enthusiastically.

It must be said that libraries have evolved a lot over the years. They are no longer just places that we visit to borrow books. The library is also a place of life (in the jargon we say third place) that plays a crucial role for all groups in society.

With new arrivals, for example. “The library has a role to play with them,” says Marie Grégoire. With young people, we can become a benchmark in their host society. »

Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, the Grande Bibliothèque has built a small collection of Ukrainian works so that exiles – who hope to return to their country one day – can stay in touch with their culture. “That’s the kind of bridge we can create,” says Marie Grégoire. “People have told me that the first Quebec gesture they made was to come and get a subscription card.”

The question of homelessness

Among the issues that Marie Grégoire surely did not think she would have to manage, there was the hiring of a worker to facilitate cohabitation with the itinerant population, a reality that many libraries have to deal with.

BAnQ has just finalized a service agreement with the Société de développement social (SDS), which will “lend” it one of its speakers.

“We wanted to have a social worker because the stakes are getting higher and higher,” explains the CEO. “Being a librarian means meeting people and sharing knowledge with them. But now, we’re dealing with more agitated people, maybe even with violent comments, and that can sometimes be hard. That means that more and more people are afraid.”

The Drummondville library has implemented a similar approach which gives good results, notes Marie Grégoire. “We really do it in a spirit of cohabitation,” she explains. And the staff of the Grande Bibliothèque want to learn to interact better by observing the speaker work. It will make us grow collectively. »

A place to live

Since the pandemic, the number of visitors to the Grande Bibliothèque has fallen by 25%, a reality that is forcing Marie Grégoire and her team to find ways to physically bring them back. “We realize that people come for something other than to borrow a book,” she emphasizes. This is true for the Grande Bibliothèque, as for all public libraries.

“People want to discover things, experiment, exchange.”

For two years BAnQ has therefore invested in creating friendly spaces: a lounge area with sofas, a corner with rocking chairs, etc.

In the medium term, Marie Grégoire would like to organize discussions, “on the French legislative elections, for example,” she suggests. She has a desire to push the idea of ​​a library as a place of meeting, exchange and dialogue even further.

Fortunately, there is more than one door to enter this institution that can intimidate many, the CEO is aware of this. On level 1 of the Grande Bibliothèque, we find the FabLab, a digital creation space where you can borrow a 3D printer, a micro-milling machine or a soldering iron to repair or create something. Technicians are on site to support users. This is the kind of activity that will perhaps allow someone to discover literature by a roundabout route. Marie Grégoire believes in it, in any case.

A future cumbersome neighbor

I cannot leave the CEO of BAnQ without talking to her about the threat – I can’t find another word – of the construction of a Hydro-Québec transformer station on the land adjacent to that of the Grande Bibliothèque. I think I speak on behalf of many Montrealers when I ask: but how is this possible?

“That was one of the surprises that awaited me when I took up my position,” admits Marie Grégoire. It was day 3 [rires]. »

Couldn’t Hydro-Québec look for another location?

The CEO claims to have asked the question “at least 50 times”.

“Hydro-Québec evaluated different sites and there weren’t many possibilities,” she adds. “So we said to ourselves: OK, let’s say we don’t have a choice. Now, how do we make this building fit in with ours?”

“We are working hard to ensure that it is not a blemish on the Latin Quarter,” she continued. “I think that this message is being heard by both the City and Hydro-Québec.”

There are two years left in Marie Grégoire’s mandate. She refuses to tell me if she will ask for a second one.

I ask her if, in three years as CEO, she thinks she has confounded the skeptics. “There will always be some,” she replies. I would like to achieve unanimity, but that is not possible. My goal is for BAnQ, and the BAnQ team, to gain notoriety and relevance. But we have to accept the fact that there will always be people who don’t want the project we have to propose. I can’t help it, it’s part of life. »

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