Greetings from the French National Committee

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Dear Delegate,

The City of Lyon, Greater Lyon and the whole Library community in France are enthusiastic about hosting the World Library and Information Congress. Lyon has always been a city of innovation, we develop a knowledge and smart city strategy and we are absolutely delighted with this upcoming major event in the field of knowledge. Welcoming librarians and information specialists from all over the world, 25 years after the congress was held in Paris, will be an honour for us.

Our National Committee, totally supportive of the congress and committed to the project, includes representatives of ministries, national institutions, regional and local authorities, networks of academic or public libraries in Lyon and the Rhône-Alpes region, national librarians associations and key partners from the private sector.

Lyon enjoys an excellent accessibility and you will see that wandering around here is like embarking on a fascinating journey through time. 500 hectares of its city centre that has been built over the last 2,000 years became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.

All types of French libraries and documentation institutions have been developing since the 80’s, due to a joint effort of local authorities, universities and national French government. They now comply with the highest international levels and in many sectors, have been promoting experiments and innovations such as in audacious architectural projects and a large range of digital resources, outreaching and cultural actions.

We will proudly propose to you a large visit programme of more than 50 libraries of all kinds in various cities in France. You will enjoy the "Provence tour", the "Languedoc tour" including Montpellier, and, in Paris, the "Latin Quarter" and the "Left Bank tour". The BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France) and the Bpi (Bibliothèque publique d’information) are registered on the programme and you will also have a chance to visit some libraries around Geneva, Switzerland.

The theme of the congress "Libraries, Citizens, Societies: Confluence for Knowledge", has a very deep meaning to us. Confluence is the name given to Lyon’s borough where Rhône and Saône, the two rivers that cross the city, meet. The confluence has also been a constant feature in Lyon’s history as it has received flows of migrants from neighbouring countries throughout the ages.

A librarians' congress is not like any other kind of congress. Beyond the gathering of professional representatives of a given branch of knowledge, a World Library and Information Congress is actually a confluence of thousands of different cultural traditions, universes of thought and social projects.

Libraries are at the convergence of their patrons, the citizens they serve and the societies in which they operate.

All librarians worldwide champion and promote these values every day: anti-discrimination, access to knowledge, freedom of information, lifelong learning…

Therefore Lyon, a crossroads of civilisations, of riches and people, is proud to promote the profession‘s values and welcome librarians from all over the world, with all their diverse languages, across generations, genders, religions and nationalities.

Welcome to Lyon!

Gérard Collomb	Bruno Racine
Senator - Mayor of Lyon Chairman of Greater Lyon Co-Presidents of the 2014 WLIC National Committee	President National Library of France