A museum for all

The Louvre-Lens will be sensitive to its geographical, cultural, and sociological environment, and keen to blend harmoniously into the local context.

The choice of Lens must make the Louvre's masterpieces accessible to new visitors. For geographical, social, or cultural reasons, many people stay away from museums: the Louvre-Lens intends to launch an outreach program that will democratize the museum experience and provide solutions adapted to visitors from all sections of society.

A major challenge facing the new museum is its integration into the local fabric and its adoption by local people. Strong, many-faceted links will be forged with the museum's neighbors to ensure that visitors to the Louvre-Lens come back time and time again.

Keys to understanding incorporated into the exhibition spaces, near the exhibits

The widest possible range of educational materials will be designed from the outset. In addition to their identifying labels, the works will be presented by information panels, descriptive sheets, etc. Considerable use will also be made of the new information and communication technologies.

The design and layout of the exhibition spaces will provide for these materials. Interactive facilities will be given pride of place. Interactive screens, film screenings, and a range of user-oriented tools will be available throughout the museum, giving visitors new keys to understanding.

Everyone who visits the museum will find information adapted to his or her requirements. Versatile tools will be available to help people discover the museum in their own way, and a range of activities will be proposed in the rooms, workshops, auditoriums, and resource center: there will be something for everyone at the museum, whether they've come to explore, learn, deepen their understanding, or just have fun.

The human touch

Human mediation-the means by which museum staff provide an interface between a work of art or exhibition and a visitor-will certainly not disappear. For people who are unfamiliar with museums, human mediation is a crucial factor in the transmission of messages. Guided tours, teams of educators in the exhibitions, a workshop-visit, demonstrations of skills or techniques by professionals, introductory workshops: these types of visit will all be available at the Louvre-Lens.

An education service that includes pre- and post-visit activities

The education service will be designed as a kind of temporal and spatial "continuum," making it possible to personalize a visit and extend it beyond the museum. Thanks chiefly to information available on the web, visitors will be able to prepare their visit, find out about the possible trails, and even choose them in advance. At home, at school, at the workplace or training institution-but also in a purpose-designed reception area at the museum itself-visitors will enjoy a foretaste of what the Louvre-Lens has to offer.

After their visit, people will be able to relive the trail they have followed, find further information in a different context, evaluate their experiences and what they've learned with supplementary texts, illustrations, bibliographies, website lists, etc.