Collège de France - Claude Lévi-Strauss Library

The Claude Lévi-Strauss Library, originally known as the Social Anthropology Library, was founded in 1960 to serve as a resource for the Social Anthropology research center, founded the same year. The library's holdings are divided into three sections: printed materials, archives, and the Comparative Ethnology Resource Center that holds a printed copy of the Human Relations Area Files (HRAF).

The printed materials section includes 30,000 works organized in three departments: the general collection (the classic works of Byzantine studies and Social Anthropology research center publications), special collections and archives (bibliographic collections, researcher's libraries donated along with their research archives), and periodicals including 400 journal collections (200 current titles) and 22,000 off-prints..

The archive section was established in the 1990's to preserve, disseminate and promote the library's collection of historical archives from ethnologists who are deceased or no longer active in research. The section brings together 20 scientific and institutional archives.

The Comparative Ethnology Resource Center holds a printed copy of the Human relations area files (HRAF). The HRAF is an important database that enables researchers to carry out highly specialized comparative studies thanks to a dual index system, geographic and by subject.

Together, the three sections form a comprehensive and coherent ensemble that provides researchers with exceptional documentary and archival resources, including the documentary evidence of certain researcher's life's work, from field notes to publications

Access terms

The Library is open to researchers and graduate students (Master's or above).

Archive access is possible on special reasoned request (to be submitted to the head of the Social Anthropology Research Center) and by appointment only.