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Image 2.7 The Chambre de Lecture
de la Fosse, Henon, 1763, Societe Archeologique et Historique de
Nantes (Chartier, 211).
This image depicts the reading room in a cabinets
de lecture in Nantes. Similar to public libraries but even
more accessible, cabinets de lecture provided a well-lit,
open room with direct use of the shelves. They enabled an individual
to read without the personal expense of buying the book and without
the limited schedules of regular libraries. The arrangement of
chairs around a table and allowing the individual to search for
and locate his own books created a comfortable environment that
encouraged educated discussion. As long as a person was literate,
he could come and gather informally for a spontaneos exchange
of ideas.
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