The library

Due to ongoing renovations at the Institut pour la photographie, the library is closed to the public until it reopens in 2027.

In 2018, the acquisition of the collection of photography historian Annie-Laure Wannaverbecq —a native of the region and director of the Maison Robert Doisneau in Gentilly— marked the beginning of the library’s creation. Since its opening, the collection has grown through donations and acquisitions related to the Institute’s programming.

Today, approximately 7,500 volumes are held on site. Thanks to the donation of Lucien Birgé’s collection, comprising more than 25,000 volumes, the Institute’s library will become a global reference for photography books. The first items from this private collection are already available to the public. The Institute for Photography expresses its gratitude to Lucien Birgé for this exceptional donation.

The Institute’s library aims to be a resource center open to the public free of charge. Its ambition to support publishing and the photographic book in all its forms has taken shape through a shared digital portal with members of the Cercle Hippolyte Bayard: the CRP/ in Douchy-les-Mines, Diaphane in Clermont-de-l’Oise, Château Coquelle in Dunkirk, and Destin Sensible in Mons-en-Baroeul; which catalogs the works of photographers active in the region.

We would like to thank all those who have contributed to expanding its library, especially Dominique Delhaye, Michel Frizot, Markus Hartmann, and Baudoin Lebon.