médiathèques Villeurbanne

What médiathèques Villeurbanne does

Médiathèques de Villeurbanne is the public library network of the Ville de Villeurbanne, a municipality in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. The network comprises three fixed branches — La Maison du livre, de l'image et du son (designed by architect Mario Botta and housing over 185,000 titles), La médiathèque du Tonkin, and La médiathèque du Rize (~42,000 documents) — supplemented by two mobile bibliobus units serving eight city neighborhoods (Saint-Jean, Les Brosses, Buers, Gratte-Ciel, Croix-Luizet, Cusset, and La Soie). Its collection spans books, music, film, board games, musical instruments, e-readers, vinyl turntables, and a distinctive artothèque of nearly 2,000 contemporary artworks available for loan.

The network operates a freemium service model funded entirely by municipal taxation; membership is free for all residents and there are no fees for standard loans, late returns up to 1.5 months, or any of the digital services (VOD, self-training platform, Munki children's app). Borrowing entitlements are generous: up to 15 documents per branch or 30 across the network, with summer extensions to 6 weeks and 3-month loans for artothèque works. Specialized programs include accessibility services (audiobooks, Braille, FALC guide, assistive workstations, homebound delivery 'Prêt à domicile'), cultural prescription services, school partnerships (e.g., Prix Manga Musset), and a continuous calendar of cultural programming (En Transes, Fête du livre jeunesse, L'art en vitrine, Festival Guitares).

Operationally, the network is undergoing a significant modernization: it is implementing RFID tagging across the document base, installing self-service loan/return kiosks on every floor of the main branch, and deploying a robotic sorter at the centralized return zone. Underlying technology is a web-based online catalogue at cataloguebm.villeurbanne.fr for browsing, reservations, and account management. Legal ownership and operational direction rest with the Ville de Villeurbanne; the director of the public reading network is Jean Baptiste Corbier, and the director of publication (in the sense of the website's editorial responsibility) is Mayor Cédric Van Styvendael.

Name

médiathèques Villeurbanne

Legal name

Ville de Villeurbanne

Website

https://mediatheques.villeurbanne.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Médiathèques de Villeurbanne is a tax-funded municipal public library network in Villeurbanne, France, operating three branches and two mobile bibliobus units to provide free lending of books, media, artworks, and instruments, plus accessibility, cultural, and digital services to all residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO), Media Center & Audiovisual Lending Operations (Equipment Checkout, Production Support) (EDAEAGAG), Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing) (EDAEAGAF), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Municipal cultural services
• Document lending programs
• Community library network
• Mobile library services

Headquarters

HQ city

Villeurbanne

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Free Public Library Service (Tax-Funded): Médiathèques de Villeurbanne is a free public service operated by the Ville de Villeurbanne municipal government. No commercial revenue is generated. Operations are funded by municipal taxation. Membership is entirely free for all residents. The network generates no revenue from transactions, subscriptions, or fees — all services are provided at no cost to users.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Public library network operated by the Ville de Villeurbanne municipal government providing free lending of books, music, film, board games, musical instruments, e-readers, vinyl record players, and contemporary artworks (artothèque). Operates three physical branches (Maison du livre – François Mitterrand, Médiathèque du Tonkin, Médiathèque du Rize) and two mobile bibliobus units serving eight city neighborhoods, supplemented by digital lending, online catalogue, home delivery, accessibility services, and cultural programming.

Product overview

The médiathèques de Villeurbanne is a public library network operated by the Ville de Villeurbanne, consisting of three physical branches (La Maison du livre, de l'image et du son – François Mitterrand, La médiathèque du Tonkin, and La médiathèque du Rize), two mobile bibliobus units, and an extensive digital lending and service programme. The network's core offering comprises physical document lending (books, music, film, games, and art works), with La Maison du livre as the flagship branch housing over 185,000 titles and an artothèque of ~2,000 works, and La médiathèques du Rize offering ~42,000 documents with a local-history 'Mémoires et société' focus. Additional products and services include digital lending (e-readers, vinyl turntables, musical instruments, board games), an online catalogue, video-on-demand, a self-training platform, a children's music/stories app (Munki), public computing and digital literacy support, home delivery for people with reduced mobility, an artothèque art-lending collection, and arts-education programmes. The network is undertaking a major automation project (RFID tagging, self-service kiosks) at its main branch.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Maison du livre, de l'image et du son – François Mitterrand The main branch of the médiathèques network, offering lending and on-site access to books, music, film, contemporary artworks, digital resources, and a children's section. Serves all Villeurbanne residents free of charge.
• Médiathèque du Tonkin Branch library offering books, comics, manga, large-print titles, periodicals, music CDs, DVDs, and a dedicated children's space, with seasonal programming including the annual Festival Guitares. Free public access.
• Médiathèque du Rize Branch library housing approximately 42,000 documents including films, TV series, music, instruments, multilingual collections, and the local-history 'Mémoires et société' collection. Features a multimedia space and a cafeteria. Free public access.
• Bibliobus (Mobile library) Two mobile library buses serving eight city neighborhoods (Saint-Jean, Les Brosses, Buers, Gratte-Ciel, Croix-Luizet, Cusset, La Soie) with stops 1–4 times per week. Offer collections similar to a physical branch. Free public access.
• Artothèque (Art lending) Art-lending service offering nearly 2,000 works by contemporary artists (including Arman, Daniel Buren, Sophie Calle, Keith Haring, Pierre Soulages) available for 3-month loan. Also operates the 'L'art en vitrine' off-site display programme in local shops. Free public access.
• Prêt à domicile (Home delivery)

Quantifiable outcome

• Free access to 185,000+ documents across the main branch alone, plus ~42,000 at the Rize branch
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Lycée professionnel Alfred de MussetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the vocational high school for the first edition of the Prix Manga Musset. Third-year students received a curated manga selection from the médiathèque du Rize, read the works, exchanged views, and voted for their favorites. Students also participated in a linogravure workshop at URDLA and designed a logo for the prize. The award ceremony was attended by the Vice-Consul of Japan.
• URDLAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerURDLA (center for printmaking and artist residencies) hosted a linogravure workshop for students from Lycée Alfred de Musset as part of the Prix Manga Musset project. Students created logo proposals for the manga prize using Japanese printmaking techniques.
• Centre Social des BuersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity center collaborated with the bibliobus team and artist M. Morice to involve neighborhood children in creating a mural on the bibliobus garage. Multiple workshops were held from February to June 2026 to design and paint the fresco.
• Momo MobileminorOthersMomo Mobile facilitated a screen-printing workshop during the bibliobus mural inauguration event, producing a fanzine with children from the Centre Social des Buers.
• PAIPSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialist in accessible communication collaborated with the library network to develop the FALC (Facile À Lire et à Comprendre) welcome guide — an easy-to-read guide explaining how the libraries work, designed for people with cognitive disabilities.
• ESAT Jacques-Chavent de l'Adapei 69minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork assistance center for people with disabilities collaborated on the development and review of the FALC welcome guide for the library network.
• Espace Tonkin (Salle de spectacle)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual partnership with the Espace Tonkin cultural venue for the Festival Guitares in December. Co-organized concerts, encounters, and music-related events, leveraging shared audiences of the adjacent médiathèque du Tonkin.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF): National library of France and reference supplier to municipal networks including Villeurbanne. Comparable as a public-sector library operator, but at vastly larger national scale with different mandate (deposit library, research, conservation).

Direct peers

• Bibliothèques de Marseille: Municipal library network of Marseille (BMVR) — operates a multi-branch system with free membership, multimedia lending, mobile library services, and heritage/digital programming similar to Villeurbanne's model.
• Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon (BmL): Lyon municipal library network — the closest geographic and functional peer. Operates a multi-branch public library system in the adjacent Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes metropolis with comparable services (BnF partnership, digital lending, music collections, heritage focus).
• Médiathèques de Montpellier: Montpellier municipal médiathèque network — direct functional analogue offering free multi-branch lending, multimedia and digital collections, cultural events, and accessibility services to a comparable urban population.
• Bibliothèques de Bordeaux: Municipal library network of Bordeaux, offering comparable free public lending, branch-based service, digital collections, and cultural events programming — a strong functional analogue for a mid-sized French city library system.
• Bibliothèques de Strasbourg: Strasbourg médiathèque network — directly comparable French municipal library offering free membership, multi-branch lending (books, music, film), digital services, and a rich cultural events calendar.
• Médiathèques de Nantes: Nantes municipal médiathèque network operating multi-branch free public lending with digital resources, cultural programming, and accessibility services comparable to Villeurbanne's model.
• Bibliothèques de Grenoble: Municipal library network of Grenoble, a peer Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes city offering comparable branch lending, digital services, and cultural programming to a similar-sized urban population.
• Bibliothèques de Paris: City of Paris public library network — directly comparable as a large municipal library network offering free membership, multimedia lending, an online catalogue, digital resources, and extensive cultural programming across multiple branches.
• Bibliothèques de Toulouse: Municipal library network of Toulouse providing free membership, multi-branch lending (books, music, film), digital resources, and themed programming — comparable in scope and service mix to the Villeurbanne network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/m%C3%A9diath%C3%A8ques-villeurbanne

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about médiathèques Villeurbanne