Cover image: James Baldwin taken Hyde Park, London
Photo by Allen Warren
CC-BY-SA-3.0

The first media library to serve Paris' 19th arrondissement bears the name of James Baldwin.

The City of Paris Website says the following about its choice to honor Baldwin (my English-language interpretation):

Giving a name to a public establishment in the making pays homage to a significant figure in our common imagination, inscribes the person's heritage of values in the landscape, and defines the ambition of the venue.

By assigning the name of James Baldwin to the first media library in the 19th arrondissement, which will open its doors in 2024 in the former Jean Quarré high school at Place des Fêtes, the Town Hall of the 19th arrondissement and the City of Paris wanted to pay tribute to this essential figure of universal emancipation and equal rights.

This is a bold choice, as is the project.

Image source: Ville de Paris Website

The Médiathèque James Baldwin will co-habitate with the Maison des Refugiés (Refugee House) in an ecologically-sustainable rehabilitated space at 10 bis, rue Henri Ribière.  It replaces the Place de Fêtes library and has a triple function:

1) Concretely advance equity among Paris' arrondissements (the 19th was the last of the large districts not to benefit from a media library).

2) Practically demonstrate the city's conviction that culture promotes individual emancipation, social bonds and the reduction of social and territorial inequalities.

3) Embrace the Jean Quarré site's recent history of welcoming refugees and move the quarter towards a new stage of integration.

As was the Place des Fêtes library, the James Baldwin media library will be one of five Paris libraries that functions as a pôle sourd (a center for the deaf), where staff are trained to welcome the public in French sign language (FSL), and offer accessible activities for the deaf and hard of hearing.

The opening of the media library was projected for Spring 2024, and it is happening more or less on time. Recent photos and video on the library's FB page show teams moving in, stocking shelves, and preparing to welcome the public.

The Maison des Réfugiés will not be not a residence. Rather, it will be a place where refugees can learn French and train for a profession so as to maximize their ability to achieve autonomy in their new home.  The integration project previously operated at 50, boulevard Jourdan the 14th arrondissement.  On April 10, it hosted an afternoon and evening of free concerts to recognize the closure of the site in anticipation of moving into its new headquarters this year.

In addition to the media library and the refugee house, a co-working space, a café, and a multi-purpose room will operate on the site that was formerly occupied by the vocational high school Jean Quarré.

The City of Paris and the 19th arrondissement seem not to be aware that the opening of the media library is happening only a few months before the Baldwin Centennial.