The Book Library

The Maison Européenne de la Photographie's Roméo Martinez Library is specialised in photography as a means of artistic expression. It contains books showing or dealing with works by contemporary photographers, as well as historical volumes and books on theory. Covering mostly contemporary photography, the library offers readers any book published in the field in recent years. These books cover the whole of photography, from the 19th century to the present day.

The library currently holds a stock of 12,000 books, 2,500 of which stem from the Roméo Martinez stock. Roméo Martinez, a critic and historian of photography, has founded the review "Camera" and the series "I grandi fotografi" for the Italian publisher Fabbri. He was in charge of organising the Biennial Festival of Photogrpahy in Venice from 1957 to 1975.

The library contains all that has been published in the photographic field since 1958, the year that Robert Frank's "Americans" came out. A selection of the most important books published before 1958 will soon be on display in the library.

This reference library is meant to be a working tool owing to its specialisation. It has twenty four places open to the general public and researchers.

The library's catalogue can be used via an original computer system that is based on touch-sensitive screens. This system, that can be used without any manual or previous training, allows readers to look for a document by way of simple criteria (photographer, country, publisher, date of publication, etc.) or multiple criteria. The system enables readers to have access to comprehensive information sheets and, of course, to shelf-marks. The librarian is glad to offer users any help they need to look for and find books.
Thanks to the CD Rom of the International Encycolpaedia of Photographers by Michèle and Michel AUER (in collaboration with the MEP), the visitor has acces to a chronology of the history of photography, a glossary of the processes, the biographies, exhibition lists, bibliograpies of 3,135 artists, fragmentary informations on 2,92 other artists (of 83 differnet nationalities), screen over 5,800 images ... The CDRom covers le numerous photographic streams, photography's multiple aspects, its tendancies, its fashions, its inventions and its innovations.

Starting 1999, a selection of the leading photographic reviews will be available in the library. These reviews will be progressively indexed.