Myriem Foncin

Myriem Foncin (2 May 1893 – 5 January 1976) was a French geographer and librarian, primarily in the cartographic sections of the French national library (BnF) where she held positions of increasing responsibility for 44 years.

Biography Foncin was born as Marie Joséphine Lucie Foncin to the prominent geographer Pierre François Charles Foncin (1841–1916) and his second wife, Jeanne Marie de Pozzi.

Myriem Foncin idealized her father and vowed to follow his career choices.

Her knowledge of biblio-economic matters enabled her to hold important positions within the International Geographical Union; knowledge acquired through the drafting and publication of new rules for cataloguing cartographic collections accepted according to international standards.

Activist At the same time, she was an activist for popular education and reading. In 1923 she founded the women's branch of the "Social Teams" founded in 1920 by Robert Garric, where she led reading and study circles. From 1938 onwards, she was active in the Association of French Librarians, where she organized basic training for those in charge of leisure libraries. In 1940 and 1941, she led training courses for those in charge of libraries created for refugees and in youth centers. In 1938, Foncin formed an informal group of popular educators, publishers and professional librarians, who worked together on criteria for the selection of books for mass libraries. Involved with scientists and users of the BnF, but also with library professionals, she nevertheless kept time for public reading throughout her career.

She retired in 1964 and died in Toulon in 1976.

Memberships

First woman president of the Association of French Librarians twice, from 1945 to 1947 and from 1958 to 1961. Member emeritus of the Committee of Historical and Scientific Works, Geographic Sciences and Environment, of which she was made the secretary of the geography section in 1956.

Legacy

First woman librarian employed the BnF Maps and Plans section (1920) First to direct a collections department at the BnF (1942) First to preside over a professional association, ABF (1945 and again 1958) Laureate of the British Royal Geographical Society, receiving the Gill Prize (1961) Officer of the Legion of Honour

Selected publications

Davis, William Morris, and Myriem Foncin. "Les falaises et les récifs coralliens de Tahiti." Annales de Géographie. Vol. 27. No. 148/149. Armand Colin, 1918. Foncin, Myriem. "Versailles: étude de géographie historique." Annales de géographie. Vol. 28. No. 155. Armand Colin, 1919. Foncin, Myriem. "La Cité." Annales de géographie. Vol. 40. No. 227. Armand Colin, 1931. Foncin, Myriem. "Bibliographie des cartes anciennes." Annales de géographie. Vol. 70. No. 381. Persée-Portail des revues scientifiques en SHS, 1961.