Cite du Livre (City of Books), Aix-en-Provence

The Cité du Livre d' Aix-en-Provence (City of Books), opened in 1993 in the former match factory, brings together the listed municipal library of Aix-en-Provence, better known as the Méjanes library, and partners institutions and associations. It consists of two main buildings as well as two pavilions, built at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century on the edge of the railway line to house the match factory; a small glass building was recently built at the time of the rehabilitation of the whole.

Its premises, which include reading rooms and library stores, premises used by associative partners, include classrooms allocated to the IUT Métiers du livre et du Patrimoine, a 480 m2 showroom, a 300-seat amphitheater, a 160-seat conference room (which is also labeled as an Arthouse cinema hall ), a 40-seat auditorium and an interior courtyard with trees.

The Méjanes library is the listed municipal library of Aix-en-Provence. It originated in the rich library of Jean-Baptiste Marie de Piquet, Marquis de Méjanes , who, on his death in 1788 , bequeathed his library to the Estates of Provence. The administrators, and in particular the Archbishop of Aix, Monsignor de Boisgelin but also Portalis , took care of implementing his will and assembled his library. During the Revolution, it became a revolutionary depot. This deposit remains at the Town Hall and is enriched by several confiscated libraries. The first librarian was Jacques Gibelin , who protected the library during the Revolution. He was then replaced by Étienne Rouart, Édouard Aude, Bruno Durand , Suzanne Estève, Xavier Lavagne, Danièle Oppetit, Gilles Eboli and Corinne Prévost. The félibre Jean-Baptiste Gaut was also an employee of the library at the end of the 19th century.

The Aix library opened to the public in 1810. In the 20th century, it experienced periods of opulence but also of abandonment: in the inter-war period, Inspector Pol Neveux thus came to the library every year to try to help with its upkeep. The Méjanes library remained at the Hôtel de Ville until 1989. It then moved to the match factory which became the Cité du Livre four years later. Annexes had been opened: one at the Halle aux grains, which still exists, the other at the Bastide Jourdan.

Today the Méjanes library has two annexes, the Halle aux grains library and the Deux-Ormes library. It is directed by Corinne Prévost.