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The article discusses public services for library users in France, with advice to new librarians on the different forms of these free services and educational materials. Topics include a comparison of France's library lending systems to those in Great Britain and Scandinavia; librarians' focus on outreach programs for library users; and free Internet access for library users.

The article discusses initiatives by public and academic librarians in France looking to attract library patrons. Topics include the French population's lack of interest in using libraries, the municipal library in Lyon, France, (BML) and its successful initiative to create and renovate neighborhood libraries, and the French organization dedicated to reading and writing Motif, which observed the behavior of library users in Île-de-France, France, and noted six different types of users.

The article focuses on digital publication, paper resource, and electronic book usage and offers in university libraries, or bibliothèques universitaires (BU), France. It discusses college student library users who favor digital collections for research and paper resources for sustained reading. Additional topics include the renovated library at the université de Panthéon-Assas in Paris, France, and digital resources available at the bibliothèque universitaire in Angers, France.

The article discusses how regional public libraries such as Savoie-biblio in Savoie, France, adapt their services to suit their older patron's needs. Some of the conditions considered include accessibility, friendly service, books with large print, and computer and reading workshops. It also discusses its reaching out to older people in residential homes and the libraries' efforts in validating services geared toward an older population.

The article focuses on the public library in the city of Montreuil, France, and discusses its initiative to attract linguistic minorities by offering foreign language literature, reference books, and periodicals suited for the city's diverse population. It also discusses some of the services it offers to attract immigrants such as discovery visits, conversation groups geared toward employment, health, or cooking, and themed workshops for children and adults.

The editor-in-chief introduces the thematic issue which focuses on the lack of library patrons in France and initiatives taken by librarians to capture or recapture the public's interest.

The article discusses a report relating to libraries and older people in France (Les bibliothèques et l'accès des seniors et les personnes âgées à la lecture), which was released by the French library inspection service Inspection générale de bibliothèque (IGB). It is noted that while people over 60 read more, they are less inclined to become library patrons. It also mentions that libraries are not adapted to the needs of the aged and offers some suggestions on how to make them more attractive.

The article discusses the efforts of French library organizations, such as the Association des bibliothécaires de France (ABF), to their apparent poor public reputation. Topics mentioned the publicity campaign waged by the network of libraries in Lille, a reduction in the number of items borrowed from libraries in Belgium, and the use of social media such as Twitter and Facebook to pitch library services to the public.

The article discusses services offered by the information desk at the public library in Lyon, France as of June 2011, which includes an online question and answer service. Topics include the library's orientation program for electronic reference services; free library Internet services for public library users; and library services to help researchers to narrow their databases searches to relevant results.