The Tourism and Travel Library (btv) is well known to Parisians -and even beyond the limits of Paris- where you can borrow guides, maps, travel stories… but far fewer know that it holds treasures in its stores. On the occasion of the 2022 Heritage Days, librarians invite you to discover some of them.
In 1986, the City of Paris bought and made available to the public the library of the Touring Club de France. This association of cyclists, then motorists, worked with great efficiency for the development of tourism in France between 1891 and 1983.
The library was that of the members of the Touring Club de France, who could borrow travel guides or books on tourism. At the time of its creation, it could claim to bring together all the editorial production on the subject. It was therefore the first library on the subject, and remains unique in its kind. This heritage fund is enriched every year: researchers and amateurs can access it very easily. In addition to the Heritage Fund, there is a regular collection of travel guides, travel accounts, maps and magazines. It is borrowed by everyone as long as it is registered in the libraries of Paris.
You will have understood: this is an invitation to travel and even better to travel in time