That fateful visit to the city library

I’m going at this series at no particular order. I’m sure, knowing my OC-self, I would one day regret this and would want a do over. I’ll deal with her later.

We signed up for the city library! It’s weird having to say « we », because that’s what I’ve been doing these past four weeks, being a « we ».

Back in Rouen in 2015, I signed up for the city library and discovered its intensive and up-to-date collection. One fine day, as I was discovering my new « quartier » (area), I found out that the nearest city library was just a stone throw away from our apartment. I dragged B with me and he didn’t bat an eye to sign up with me.

How to sign up for the Paris City Library (Bibliothèque de Paris) :

1. Show a valid ID
   In B’s case, he showed his French national card, while I showed my Philippine passport.

2. Fill out a form

3. Pay nothing! It’s absolutely free for residents

In a few minutes, the librarian gave us our library card, which is valid for a year & renewable. We can borrow books for free, a total of 20 texts for a duration of two weeks. We can extend it up to three weeks by accessing the city library website : https://bibliotheques.paris.fr

From this website, we can also search the catalogue from all of the libraries all over Paris, have it reserved and pick it up from which branch it is available. However, returning the book has to be done from the exact library from where it was borrowed.

For an additional cost, you can borrow multimedia like CDs, DVDs and vinyl!

They also have an e-library where you can consult resources from their electronic collection. A complete language learning program is also offered but I am yet to try it out.

💡 Light bulb moment

Signing up for the library gave me a light bulb moment : to undergo a « reconversion professionnelle ». I’ve always done well organizing items, I’ve enjoyed being in the library and bookstore - even dreamed to work in either one, I almost worked in publishing. The closest I got to that was to work in the education sector. I think this was life’s way of telling me to finally go for it!

My second visit to the library was to borrow books about library science so I can have a head start before the next school year. In France, in order to work for the library, bookstore or the publishing industry, you need to undergo a « concours » (exam) and have the necessary diploma. I’ve started researching the system and also going as far as inquiring and sending out applications, but I haven’t had any luck so far. Meanwhile, I’ll continue to dive into these books and be open and on the lookout for possible opportunities.

Scary, filled-with-uncertainties times but also exciting !