International resources centre of thermal heritage

The Multimedia Library intends to compile an International Centre of Resources on thermal heritage. It is a part of the Municipal Multimedia Library heritage collection where is also the Valéry-Larbaud Museum-Library and the regional collection.

Documentation: books, brochures, press documents...

A particular effort will be made on the collections already present in the heritage collections; local (Vichy) and regional (Auvergne) documentation is already present and computerised. It represents approximately 800 volumes, the references of which are available for consultation in the online catalogue of the Multimedia Library:

http://www.ville-vichy.fr/accueil-mediatheque.htm

The Multimedia Library also maintains the library of the former Société des Sciences Médicales (Society of Medical Sciences), founded in Vichy in 1884. In this library are approximately 700 volumes and 10 reviews, principally dating from the 19th and early 20th Century, concerning the thermal activity. This documentation could be prioritised in such a way to make it also visible on the Multimedia Library’s online catalogue.

Iconography: stamps, postcards, posters, architectural plans...

Among the iconographic collections held in the Multimedia Library, a large number of the documents have a more or less tight link with the thermal activity of the spa: stamps representing the springs or thermal establishments of the 19th Century, advertising posters illustrated for the spa resort or architectural plans. Stamps and posters have been computerised and digitised. On the other hand, only a tiny amount of the architectural plans of the firm Percilly-Brière have managed to be processed so far, yet they constitute a resource of paramount importance for the knowledge of the thermal heritage of Vichy and its surrounding areas. The collection of the Multimedia Library just enriched with the Dr Cousseau collection, which represents 8000 additional postal cards to treat.

Acquisition of documents

In terms of the acquisition of documents (textual or iconographical), a priority could be accorded to those concerning thermal heritage, with a view to completing existing collections. Purchases would be focused on best replica watches works in French on French thermal resorts, and in particular those from the Auvergne region, as well as foreign-language works on the spas of the countries concerned (with the exception of specialized medical works).

Bibliography: listing of existing works and studies

The composition and a regular updating of a bibliography dedicated to European thermal heritage is in production and will be posted online.

Website list

The composition of a list of websites dedicated to European thermal spas and particularly to their heritage is in production and will be posted online.

Directory: listing of personnel

The listing of personnel in the thermal heritage field for the 25 European EHTTA partner thermal resorts is in production and will be posted online in order to create synergies between researchers from all countries.