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64th IFLA Conference Logo

   64th IFLA General Conference
   August 16 - August 21, 1998

 


Code Number: 026-81-E
Division Number: II.
Professional Group: Geography and Map Libraries
Joint Meeting with: -
Meeting Number: 81.
Simultaneous Interpretation:   No

The New Documentation Center of IGN

Pierre Planques,
Service de la Documentation Géographique - IGN
Marne la Vallée
France


Abstract:

At the beginning of 1996, the Institut Géographique National's headquarter decided to move the IGN's library from Saint-Mandé to Marne-la-Vallée, on the same site of the ENSG (Ecole Nationale des Sciences Géographiques). It was also decided to take advantage of this change to modernize this unit. This paper presents the context of the decision, the purposes and means of this new "Documentation Center", and also a first statement a few months after openning.


Paper

Historic and context

IGN is the main french cartographic organism. The main purpose of this public institution is elaboration and maintenance of geographical equipement: maps, aerial photography, geodetical and levelling networks,... He has also the mission to controle activities of the " Ecole Nationale des Sciences Géographiques" (ENSG). ENSG, located in Saint-Mandé (near Paris) since the fiefties, move on in Marne la Vallée at tfhe end of 1997 (this was in project since... about 15 years). At this occasion, he was located with the "Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées" (ENPC) in a magnificent ultra- modern building. Students and teachers of ENSG have study and reaserch activities. It was thereby essential to provide for a documentation center for the users. This problem does'nt exist during the time where ENSG was located in Saint-Mandé: IGN's library was on the same place and was available for the IGN's staff just as students and teachers of ENSG. It was considered, at first, to equip ENSG with his own documentation center with adapted dimensions for this school (between 2 and 4 people). In this case, IGN's library as to stay in Saint-Mandé. Some considerations on the cost of the working of two documentary units (the library and the documentation center) and also on the hope to contribute to increase the influence of ENSG bring IGN's management to another solution. A study was made on the opportunity of the integral transfert of the library in Marne la Vallée. After results, some complements of this study where made. Considering general conclusions, the IGN's management decided, on the 11sth march 96 for the principle of an integral tranfert .

The documentation Center

First results

What is the matter, some months after oppening ?

As written in his aims, the direction of new Center apply himself to improve service's quality. It means he carry on the previous tasks (purchase of books, publishing of acquiring report, research and consultation, running of newspapers,...) and add some various improvements:

All this element are seting now in position. Some changes are also excpected in near futur:

Conclusion

It is now to early, a few months after oppening of the new documentation center of IGN, to know if his ambitious aims will be reached. It's important to see that the first aim is a significant increase of the users's service, in spite of the distance of all the productions units of Saint-Mandé. If this increase of the user's service is not the reason who prompt IGN's Direction to create the new center, we ave to take the opportunity of the moving of the library to create a documentation center worthy of our institution. Oppening hours, monday to friday, 9h45 to 17h45 Centre de documentation de l'IGN
Cité Descartes, 6-8 avenue Blaise Pascal
77455 Marne la Vallée Cedex 2,
FRANCE
tél. 01 64 15 32 80
fax. 01 64 15 32 84
E-mail: c@ensg.ign.fr