fiaf.org > Library

Tell a Friend

Special Collections

Découverte de la France
An enhanced travel and discovery collection that will help you plan your next trip to France and learn more about the history and geography of the regions of France. This section is located in the main reading room. More Info.

Vive la Différence : Regards Croisés
A selection of titles that investigate the cultural comparisons between French and American lifestyles and manners. This section is located in the main reading room. More Info.

Saveurs des Terroirs
A new enhanced section on gastronomy and wine, including a wide range of cookbooks. This section is located next to the “Découverte” collections in the main reading room. More Info.

Livres sonores
For ease of selection, audio books are now grouped together at the end of the fiction section in the main reading room. Many new fiction titles on CD have been added to the collection.

La Ruche
Featuring many books on history and the Paris Collection, this section in the upper level of the library may be reached by taking the stairs located in the periodicals room. More Info.

Découverte de la France

Travel to France Section

Do you have a passion for Provence?  Are you riveted by the Riviera? Does your heart beat faster in front of a Parisian pastry shop window?  If so, you can exercise your love of the French countryside and its vibrant cities, plan for your next trip to France, and learn more about the history and geography of the regions of France in the Haskell Library’s new collection, “Découverte de la France.”

In this section, you will find books and information on travel and tourism in France.  In addition, you can discover the French touch of elegance in all the latest trends in art and culture, fashion and shopping, beauty and well-being, hotels and nightlife, architecture, museums and historical sites, nature and gardens, sports and leisure. In order to guide your path to the “Discovery of France” section, books are arranged by the 22 regions of France, from Brittany to Languedoc-Roussillon, and are accompanied by maps and visual guides.

The “Découverte de la France” section is located immediately to the right upon entering the main reading room.  The fascinating classical and modern mix of France is waiting for you on the shelves of the Haskell Library. Bon voyage!

| Top |

Vive la Différence : Regards Croisés

Comparing Cultural Differences: France & the U.S.

Although France and America share the same democratic and secular world view, they have different histories and thus a different culture, which translates into other ways of doing and looking at things, as well as dissimilar beliefs, expectations and codes of personal and social conduct. France remains a very different country from the United States. To successfully live, study or do business in France, it is necessary to enter the world of the Frenchman.

But as the French say “Vive la Différence!” The FIAF Library presents a new collection entitled “Vive la Différence : Regards Croisés.” This collection aims to present a selection of titles that investigate the cultural comparisons of family, religion, education, nationality, humor, love, etiquette, taste, business style, ethics, personal appearance, conversation, faith…and pets! It includes an eclectic mix of manuals, memoirs, guides and a wide selection of lighthearted English-language novels that investigate these issues.

The collection is located next to the “Découverte de la France” section in the main reading room.

| Top |

Saveurs des terroirs

Gastronomy Section

Located adjacent to the “Découverte de la France” collection in the main reading room, “Saveurs des Terroirs”, the new gastronomy section of the Haskell Library, regroups books about the world-famous food and wine traditions of  France.  You will find here a wide range of French cookery books covering the great traditions to “la nouvelle cuisine”, books on food customs and individual local foodstuffs such as cheese, mushrooms and mustard. In these books you will discover historical recipes and menus from the courts of kings, the new tendencies of French cuisine, and memoirs by the great chefs of France…as well as enticing recipes to try at home.

The section also includes books on wine, liqueurs, and guides to the great vintages and wine-producing regions.

Escoffier, Brillat-Savarin, Paul Bocuse and Julia Child–as well as your appetite–await your visit.

| Top |

La Ruche

History books and The Paris Collection

Nicknamed “La Ruche” after the famous Montparnasse artists colony of the 1920s, this section is open for shelf browsing and reading.  Readers may reach the upper level via the stairs that are located to the rear of the circulation desk. 

For security reasons, please note that no children under 16 are allowed upstairs.

Books on history are located in this section. The history collection now regroups the former Reserves Collection with the more contemporary titles. History buffs will enjoy being able to more readily peruse the many interesting historic titles found in this section. Note that any title with a 900 call number is located on the upper level.

In addition to the general section of titles on the history of France, this floor comprises the following collections:

The France-Amérique Collection
Of special note is the “France-Amérique Collection” which contains books on the history of the United States, Franco-American relations and the history of French people in the United States.

Stacks collection
This section includes all subject areas. It includes long series of letters and correspondence, collected works, literary memoires, scholarly studies, general reference books, film scenarios, rare books and fragile bindings.  To differentiate the titles located here from the collections on the 2nd floor, books in this section are marked in the catalogue as “Stacks Collection: Upper Level.”

The Paris Collection
A natural complement to the history section is the FIAF Library’s Paris Collection, comprising some 2,000 books dating from the 1800’s to the present.  All are dedicated to depicting the varied aspects of Paris: its history, geography, artists, architecture and daily life.

There is not one person on the face of the earth who does not hold a special place in their heart for the city of Paris.  The “City of Lights” evokes varied images, ranging from the most beautiful city in the world, the capital of elegance and intellectualism, the birthplace of bistros and revolutions, the home of poets and writers, and the cradle of fashion, film and folly…and love.

The Paris Collection of the Haskell Library, located in the Library’s upper level section, traces the story of this exciting city though the ages, from the medieval settlements at Lutèce to the grands projets of François Mitterrand. Take a stroll down your favorite street in the company of such notables as Janet Flanner and Thomas Jefferson, regale yourself with the evocative black and white images of the Paris of Atget, flirt with mondaines in the Palais Royal, revisit the former neighborhoods of les Halles and Pigalle now lost, and study the monuments of the Right Bank with a Baedeker guide book of 1914 in hand.

Indeed, Paris is at your feet on the upper level of the Haskell Library.

| Top |