| Summary: | Although France has always taken pride for its excellence in the training of its intellectual “elite” through its universities, it is quite shocking to see how little interest those same universities take in managing and preserving its cultural heritage, especially in the scientific field. Yet, such a paradox can be explained when one analyses the various factors that led to the horrific condition of the universities patrimony. Amongst those factors, three can be highlighted: the fast evolution in taught subject matters as well as research; an identity often claimed but never frankly openly structured; a race to the future that never wanted to bother with its heritage. Within structures exclusively devoted to teaching and research, under ever growing competition and endowed with allowances denounced as always decreasing , patrimony maintenance is not of prime priority and is simply reduced to a desperate attempt to save what can be saved. Fortunately, the situation is slowly improving, particularly by bringing experts into the universities, who are able to manage, assess and upgrade those collections.
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