A message from the director

Dear friends and members of the American Library:

Like all Parisians, the expatriates and others who make up our Library community are feeling shock and grief after the events of last Friday. Please know that our staff and volunteers are safe. All of us on the rue du Général Camou are so grateful for the messages of concern and solidarity received from all over the world.

The Library took the precaution of closing its doors through the weekend. We will open again tomorrow morning and, barring unforeseen circumstances, resume regular operating hours. The evening events scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, and during subsequent weeks, will go on. Regular consultation of our website will keep you in the know of any cancellations or rescheduling.

Members and visitors to the Library will observe heightened vigilance at the entrance. We thank you in advance for understanding that active membership cards and possibly other identification will be required for entry, and that bags may be scrutinized. We are redoubling our efforts to be sure that no one enters the Library who is not known to us, and that all inside the Library are safe.

These are difficult times, and normalcy may be difficult to imagine, but as we look to that better day, the American Library in Paris will do what it must to serve both its principles and its community.

– Charles Trueheart, director