Clément Carles, Mayor of Saint-Affrique and President of the Community of Communes, along with Christian Vernhet, Mayor of Saint-Izaire and community councilor for Heritage Valorization, met with local media to announce the highlight event of late 2026: a day of animation for the 30th anniversary of the intercommunal library-game library « Yves Couderc ».
« The aim is to shine a spotlight on all those who make it thrive, namely our staff, and to benefit the inhabitants of our entire territory », explained Clément Carles. Marie Helène Marty, the venue's manager, then detailed the program designed for all ages, emphasizing the diversity of collections: « at the library, game library, it's not just books in all their forms, novels, comics, magazines, documentaries… there are book-CDs, CDs, DVDs, and since the opening of the game library, a multitude of games ».
The library is described as « a place for meetings, exchanges, a haven of calm for some, a place of escape for others seeking elsewhere, a touch of dreams ». Over the years, the establishment has evolved, from a library to an intercommunal one, then a cyberbase, a media library, and finally a library-game library, while remaining attentive to user suggestions and offering new services such as home delivery and relay points, particularly in Saint-Izaire.
The figures demonstrate this evolution: after the merger of the library of the Saint-Affricain cultural association and the educational library, the municipal library moved into its current premises in 1996. Since then, the number of documents has doubled, from 18,750 to 39,221 copies, and the number of subscribers has increased from 1,300 to 2,096, not counting those who visit without being subscribers. The number of loans has also seen a significant rise, reaching 52,000 compared to 14,666 in 1996 and 9,400 in 1990.
To celebrate this anniversary, a festive day is organized on Saturday, November 7, from 10 am to 10 pm. The program includes storytelling in French and Occitan for children aged 3 to 6 by Malika Verlaguet at 11 am, a show for all audiences « l’instant Thé » by Cie « Tête d’ampoule » at 5 pm, speeches and refreshments at 7 pm, and music with a DJ from 8 pm to 10 pm. Activities centered around games will also be offered throughout the day.
