“From November 18, borrow an instrument music at the library! » There should be a lot of people this Saturday at the Jacques-Demy media library in Nantes. Because in addition to the numerous films, books or magazines already available on site, it will now be possible to leave home with an electric guitar, a djembe or a ukulele. You just need to be registered at the library to benefit from this loan, at no extra charge, for a period of four weeks. A novelty that should please as more and more municipal libraries are getting started, from Amiens to Toulouse via Rennes, and are enjoying tremendous success.
350 km away, in Pessac, near Bordeaux, there is currently only one instrument available (a bass) out of the fifty in the park. Launched almost two years ago at the Jacques-Ellul media library, the service has already won over 350 families, for nearly 800 loans, here over three weeks. “It works very well, as soon as an instrument is returned it comes out,” confirms Fabien Lespinasse, the music representative. We have great classics like keyboards, guitars, and more recently winds, but also more original instruments like the cajon, which comes from Cuba or tongue drum, which does not need technicality. The objective is to make culture accessible to as many people as possible, but even instruments on which one would not have bet, such as the electric violin, are in high demand. The proof: we had to buy one! »
“Families who hesitate to invest”
As music departments began to be deserted, with a decline in CDs in favor of streaming, those in charge decided to react, to remain in line with the aspirations of users. At the Part-Dieu municipal library, in Lyon, we do not regret having launched at the beginning of 2023 into these new types of loans, so much in demand that it has already been necessary to double the number of instruments available: “ We have a lot of beginners who come to try out new instruments, to eventually move on to purchasing them, reports Cyrille Michaud, head of the music department. There are families who hesitate to invest for their child or teenager, adult practitioners who want to discover other sounds… Last time, we had an electronic music composer who came to rent a balafon [une sorte de xylophone] to record a sample. »
As will be the case at the Nantes instrument library, accessories (cover, strap, etc.) and a short user manual, or even tutorials, are usually provided. Because the objective is “to remove all possible barriers”, continues Cyrille Michaud. In Lyon, “we do not ask for a deposit, we do not sign a charter, we do not display the value of the instrument either to avoid scaring people and slowing them down. » In Pessac too, a trumpet is considered “as a document like any other”. Only a short form needs to be completed, informing the user that they are liable in the event of damage. “But we have never had any problems in two years, apart from a few broken ropes, which can happen,” emphasizes Fabien Lespinasse. On their return, the instruments are cleaned and retuned, and sent for regular servicing.
“The audience is growing”
Which implies costs for the media libraries which embark on the adventure. “It is certain that there is a budgetary impact, with collective reflection upstream of each purchase,” continues Fabien Lespinasse. The question of storage must also be taken into account, as well as that of the training of agents, who must know how to use the entire range of instruments available to then ensure mediation. Upheavals that are worth it, it seems. “The library’s audience is growing, there is a renewal with people who have registered on purpose,” says Cyrille Michaud. Even though the waiting list is still too long to certain instruments, it is very positive and amateur artistic practice is developing. »