FYI France -- BNF Strike, the results
Jack Kessler
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FYI France: BNF Strike results -- the Minister's letter
Many of you have asked about the results of the Bibliothe`que
Nationale de France strike, arguably one of the earliest "digital
information labor actions" to have taken place anywhere, so far.
The strike occurred last Fall, in October. One of the original
and always central issues was the inability of the new digital
information systems to live up to expectations -- defenders
crying "unreasonable" expectations, and detractors contending
"minimal" -- digital information thus finally reaching the bar of
labor action and history: see FYI France, Oct 23 & Nov 15, 1998.
So here is what the French did: a committee was established -- I
can hear the groans already, many of them French -- a report was
issued, recommendations were made...
But this _is_ how these things are done. Even the "corporate"
types who read this will admit that private firms look a lot less
efficient from the inside than out, and not just in France. And
the BNF after all _is_ a giant, public, and ancient institution:
Yale University's Bart Giamatti used to complain of having to
"run a 20th century enterprise using 16th century methods".
Public institution governance does require patience.
After patient waiting by all concerned, then, the national
Ministre de la Culture et de la Communication, Catherine
Trautmann, issued the following instructions for resolving the
BNF strike and crisis, on March 16: (tr. JK)
--oOo--
Monsieur Jean-Pierre ANGREMY
Pre'sident de la Bibliothe`que nationale de France
11 Quai Franc,ois Mauriac
75706 Paris Cedex 13
Monsieur le Pre'sident,
As you know, the difficulties encountered by the Bibliothe`que
Nationale de France in opening its "lower - garden" level to
researchers hold a significant place in my current concerns.
These difficulties should not obscure the considerable work which
has been accomplished by your organization, and all of its
successes: the computerization of your printed works catalogs,
the opening of your "upper garden" level to the general public,
the open access to much of the collection, the launch of your
"Gallica" Internet site, the move of the Richelieu collections,
the improvement of the De'po^t Le'gal outside of Paris as part of
the "Po^les Associe's" project... The list of all of the actions
and achievements already accomplished by the BNF is long, and has
produced a first - rate cultural and scientific resource of great
value to the nation.
Nevertheless, certain steps remain to be taken to improve the
functioning of your institution, and the extensive study which
just has been undertaken on this subject to me appears to have
been particularly positive.
In conformity with the agreement established as a result of the
strike of October - November 1998, between representatives of the
staff and the management of the institution, nine working groups
completed their analyses at the end of January, and based on
these M. Albert Poirot, Inspecteur Ge'ne'ral des Bibliothe`ques,
recently submitted his summary report to me.
I would like to tell you how much I was struck by the enormity of
the task which has been accomplished in so short a time by all of
the members of the working groups, and by M. Poirot, as well as
by the quality of M. Poirot's report.
On reading the report, important recommendations emerge clearly,
and it appears to me imperative -- considering the long period of
waiting by both the staff of the BNF and its readers -- that they
be applied quickly to the principal problems which the report
describes, taking into account the financial implications of the
solutions which have been proposed.
I know that you already work constantly to optimise the
information systems and the communications network in order to
enable the direct delivery of documents to users, a task which I
consider as you do to be a primary objective, and I can assure
you that you yourself as well as your services have my entire
confidence in this undertaking.
In addition, so that the establishment which you direct will
function in the most coherent and efficacious manner possible,
using to their very best advantage all of the skills of your
personnel, I wish you to undertake a series of measures
immediately. Some of them will come from your organization
directly, others require cooperation with the central
administration of my Ministry: specifically the Direction du
Livre et de la Lecture and the Direction de l'Administration
Ge'ne'rale.
These measures are the following:
* You will propose to me, before May 15, a program of projects
for the building at Tolbiac as well as a policy of improvements,
for the years 1999 and 2000. These projects are to lead to an
improvement in the document delivery network, and in the working
conditions of personnel, particularly in the book stacks.
* You will strive to give a renewed dynamism to personnel
policies, by assigning a more important position and more
ambitious objectives to the management in charge of this area,
and by ensuring that the highest management of the BNF will be
available and open to those who work in the personnel area.
* It is my wish that all possible measures be taken to train
personnel regarding the development of the information systems,
particularly those involved with the release of the Version 2
scheduled for the end of this year.
* I am to receive an account of the study of your institution's
opening hours, undertaken by yourselves in cooperation with the
Direction du Livre et de la Lecture and other interested parties.
It is my wish that proposals in this area be submitted to me by
the beginning of June.
* The organization will find a way to improve, perceptibly, the
procedures for reception of the public, and to develop policies
for distance access.
* A program of evaluations of the BNF will be proposed by the
Direction du Livre et de la Lecture, working with the management
of your organization and the Inspection Ge'ne'rale des
Bibliothe`ques.
* You will prepare a projet d'e'tablissement to be confirmed by a
contrat d'objectifs between the Ministry and the BNF, cooperating
with the Direction du Livre et de la Lecture and the Direction de
l'Administration Ge'ne'rale.
* A new evaluation of the adequacy of both the number of
personnel and of their qualifications, for the good functioning
of the organization and full use of its capacities, will be
submitted to me by the end of this year.
* As to personnel policies, to me it appears essential that the
work of the personnel be appreciated at all levels. You are to
establish, in particular, the Comite' Technique Paritaire and the
Comite' d'hygie`ne et de Se'curite' as lines of communication
between management and representatives of the personnel.
* Moreover, you will take steps to reinforce the coherence of the
operation of all services. Internal organization will be changed
to permit better informing of personnel, as well as their greater
participation in the operation of the organization, notably by
their participation on inter - departmental committees. An
internal organization chart defining these responsabilities will
be developed.
* It is my wish, as well, that job training and continuing
education policies be reinforced. The creation of a center for
job training and professional documentation at Tolbiac will be
studied. At the same time, the mobility of personnel, inside the
organization as well as outside, will be facilitated, taking into
account individual situations. Finally, the extension of social
benefits will be pursued through a multi - year program.
Thank you for seeing that all of these measures are put into
place with the least delay, and that personnel regularly are
informed of their development.
I wish to be informed myself by the Direction du Livre et de la
Lecture of the progress of this work.
I am convinced that at the end of this current initial period the
"lower - garden" level will reach all of its objectives and will
be able fully to satisfy its users. Nor do I doubt that the BNF
will be able to provide the distance services which it offers
using its internal network and the Internet. Thus the entire
nation will be able to obtain the greatest part of the
exceptional achievement which your institution represents.
Je vous prie d'agre'er, Monsieur le Pre'sident, l'expression de
ma conside'ration distingue'e.
Catherine TRAUTMANN
[The original French as of today may be read online at,
http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/actualites/
listed as, "Rapport de synthe`se sur les re'flexions conduites
par les neufs groupes de travail de la Bibliothe`que Nationale de
France Paris, le 16 mars 1999". JK]
--oOo--
Editor's note:
Others will be more adept than I am at interpreting the languages
of diplomacy and bureaucracy which are involved here.
It seems obvious that the personnel problems have impressed the
Minister. And she continues to feel that the information systems,
and specifically the Internet access, must have the highest
priority at the BNF -- if, that is, "primary placement" in her
letter gives these matters the same priority which they would
enjoy so - placed in a similar letter in a US context -- but then
things are not always obvious in France.
To the very American question, "show me the money?", there seems
to be no answer offered here. But then this was not the occasion,
perhaps. Still, budget is an ongoing problem, particularly with
information systems: the Minister acknowledges this in her polite
but chilling reference to "implications financie`res des
solutions", at one point -- the "no - free - lunch clause", they
call this in corporate America -- one hopes that personnel, and
information systems, will not get starved and certainly not see
one robbed to benefit the other at the BNF, as happens so often
in corporate "reorganizations". But then money thrown at
problems does not resolve the, either. The new BNF formula for
this balance will be watched carefully by many others.
Recent visitors to the BNF assure me that conditions still are as
difficult as they have been but that the attitude of the staff is
much, much better. Now comes the critical period, when concrete
progress must be shown in all areas -- not too much, lest
mistakes be made, nor too little, lest the cynics nod their heads
in resignation and unfurl their banners once again or, worse,
simply give up and go home. Mme. Trautmann knows this, as do M.
Angre'my and any of the BNF staff with experience in management
and administration. The enthusiasts and cynics do not -- those
inevitable folks -- but then they are not running the place.
The BNF now has, at least, gone through its labor movement
"baptism of fire" -- hopefully learning from its experience and
even perhaps providing valuable lessons to the rest of us on how
human institutions are going to cope, or not, with digital
information. It ain't easy. One question for the rest of us is
whether / when / how "labor movements" elsewhere are going to
begin taking on the questions of the digital information age?
--oOo--
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