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The paper discusses hypotheses why women librarians are particularly resistant to and critical of new forms of culture and learning that young visitors of libraries find attractive. Based on several enquiries, the author concludes that libraries in France remain a feminine world which tends to be closed to intermixing sexual, ethnic and social barriers. She describes women's reaction to young people - qualified as 'non-readers', 'visitors', or 'tourists' - who prefer libraries with coffee shops, DVD rentals and internet services. Male teenagers legitimately find traditional libraries gloomy, and female librarians are particularly critical about their behaviour and preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the application of the French Penal Code of 1810 by the French courts. The Code provided for the establishment in each department of a Court of Assizes (Courd'assises) to replace the Court of Criminal Justice (Cour de justice criminelle) , which itself succeeded the Criminal Court of the Revolution, and also greatly reformed investigation and prosecution. It is widely seen as significantly more severe than the Code of 1791, interested in preserving the interests and the authority of the state, but an analysis of the way in which it was used by the courts, here notably the Assize Court of Vienne, shows that the courts managed to show a more measured approach to prosecution and sentencing of concrete cases while remaining true to the spirit of the 1810 Penal Code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]