The organisation of public
libraries.......................................................... 5
Innovative projects in ITALIAN
public libraries.................................... 9
PULMAN COUNTRY Report
information
on public libraries
There are about 15.200
libraries in Italy, about 6.000 depending on local authorities (Regioni,
Provinces and Municipalities), about 36 on the Ministry for Cultural Heritage -
Ministero per i beni e le attività culturali (the so called State public libraries), others on the Ministry
of Education – Ministero della pubblica istruzione, on private institutions,
ecclesiastic organizations and private Universities, independent bodies, cultural and research institutions operating in
various sectors.
According to the latest Regulation concerning the State
public libraries, delivered in 1995, the structure of State public libraries is
composed by two Central National libraries set in Rome and in Florence which
are in charge of gathering and preserving what is published in Italy, supplying
users with a direct access service, and recording what is published abroad
concerning Italy.
Besides them, there are further seven national libraries in
Torino, Milan, Venice, Naples (linked to the section of Macerata), Bari,
Potenza and Cosenza: they have the task of collecting the most important
antique and modern publications realized both in Italy and abroad as well as of
enhancing and testifying the different regional culture where they are
established.
Finally there are nine university libraries, established
before the Italian union, which do not depend on the relative university (hence
on the Ministry of Education) but on the Ministry for Cultural Heritage. They
are set in Pavia, Genova, Padova, Modena (Biblioteca Estense), Pisa, Rome
(Biblioteca Alessandrina), Naples, Cagliari and Sassari.
As for the libraries depending on local authorities, they are
tightly linked to the city or area where they are set: there is usually one
large library, serving the central areas of population, and a series of smaller
libraries serving local areas. Besides allowing users to realize researches,
they offer space and materials to students, to people who want to improve and
refresh their cultural and scientific knowledge. These are indeed the backbone
of public access in the Country. Their spread on the area makes them close to
the public they serve. The financial contribution of the Regioni, that were
empowered with such policies in the early 70s, is the essential driving force
and political framework.
Libraries belonging to local authorities are co-financed by the Regioni according to the law issued by the relevant Regione.
Public libraries do not charge for reading, book lending and reference services.
There is not a structured legislation for
libraries, publishing and information at national level. Libraries belonging to
local authorities works vigorously in order to promote cultural policy, but not
officially at national level: since 1972 the library legislation and the
protection of the book materials held within the libraries of local authorities
has been delegated from the State to the Regioni, giving the new established
administrations the power to legislate in certain topics and to accomplish
actions which had belonged before to the tasks of the central government. The
production of local legislation was led by Regione Lombardia with a law that
stated the right of all citizens to information and culture, followed by a
series of laws issued in other Regioni, which were concentrated more on the
financial aspect of the library organization than on specific library services.
In general, this first group of laws launched the idea of the library as a
cultural centre providing cultural services.
In 1983 Regione
Emilia-Romagna issued the 42/83 law that represents the starting point for
library organization and cooperation, opening up a new stage in library
legislation:since then it was promoted the adoption of shared cataloguing
standards, minimum requirement were regarded as pre-requisites to get access to
public financing (such as books, catalogues, regular services, trained
librarians) and, also thanks to library automation, the first collective
catalogues were realized.
In 1930 was established the
Associazione Italiana Biblioteche (AIB), the professional association of
Italian librarians, which has its executive board in Rome, by the Biblioteca
Nazionale Centrale. Each Italian Region has a local AIB branch with its own
director and executive board.
Primary goals of the
organization are:
·
promote organisation
and development of Italian libraries;
·
represent librarians in
cultural, technical, juridical and legal framework;
·
promote training of
librarians;
·
provide scientific and
technical support for professional training;
·
contribute to
orientation of library policy;
·
promote professional deontological
principles.
Library Law and Copyright Law
|
Library Law |
Copyright Law |
|
|
Nr.633/1941 and following
updates (Nr.248/2000) |
|
Different
Regional Laws |
|
Training
There is
not a national training strategy for librarians at the moment. Universities run
post graduate courses in the field and degrees in cultural heritage also
covering librarianship. The Regioni support vocational courses held by training
centres.
Librarians also have access to self-directed
training by attending the workshops organized by the Regioni and their
professional association (AIB) on specific topics ranging from copyright to
access, from on-line cataloguing to preservation.
In 2000
the CREMISI project, promoted by the Italian Ministry for Cultural
Heritage, realized a training action for librarians regarding the use and the
introduction of ICT in public State libraries: thanks to the notable impact of
the project’s outcomes, the Ministry is arranging an action plan about
librarians’ training following the CREMISI approach, which was based on the
Open and Distance Learning methodology.
Currently
there are no updated statistics.
Most of the Italian libraries are automated nowadays. Their catalogues can be accessed on the spot or, in most cases, through the web. Beside traditional print material they also supply a range of off-line materials (CD-Rom, DVD, database, etc.) and e-journals.
The National Library Service (SBN) is the
Italian library network created by the Ministry for Cultural Heritage in cooperation
with the Regioni and Universities. Libraries participating in the SBN project, are
the National Central Libraries in Rome and Florence, as well as State, city,
university and academic libraries and those belonging to public and private
cultural or research institutions operating in various sectors. SBN is a network
which aims at providing services to end-users.
The OPAC
(On line Public Access Catalogue) SBN database indeed is the union catalogue of
the Italian libraries that have joined the National Library Service. OPAC
provides access to bibliographic records, which are periodically downloaded
from the SBN “Modern Books”, “Older Books” and “Music” Index databases and
converted into the UNIMARC format. The OPAC SBN database is freely accessible
24 hours a day.
A 9% of
libraries have their OPAC on the web not directly connected to the SBN network.
The
libraries participating in SBN are connected through territorial aggregations
the so-called "local nodes", which bear witness to the Regioni’s
involvement. Each node is made up of large or small groups of libraries, which
manage their services with automated procedures through terminals connected to
the same mainframe. In their turn, the nodes are connected to the SBN Index,
which is the hub of the network and is managed by ICCU - the Union Catalogue of Italian Libraries and
for Bibliographic Information.
The
services offered by the network require cooperation among libraries: indeed, by
freely joining SBN, every library, besides its own bibliographic collections,
makes available to its users, all the documents existing in other SBN
libraries.
Perspectives of Italian libraries are improving thanks to
the efforts made by the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and by the Regioni,
which support and promote the idea that the libraries are propelling centres of culture and guidance,
judged as an important element for the economic and cultural development of the
territory.
The key role of public libraries in supporting non formal education among citizens and their relationship with traditional educational institutions (schools, universities, training centres, etc.) to promote lifelong learning is encouraged by the Italian Cabinet, as stated in the agreement issued in 2000 among Government, Regioni, Provinces, Councils and Mountain Communities.
N/A
N/A
Best practice, innovations and projects
SBN Interlibrary loan
ICCU is developing the project SBN Interlibrary
loan, entailing libraries at national and transnational level. Thanks to this
service it is also possible to search the catalogues of books,
prints, museum collection, etc. in Italy and other countries and ask for
services (such as loan
and get a loan estimate for books, magazines,
photocopies, etc.).
Further information can be found at http://sbnonline.sbn.it/
CREMISI
Promoted
in 1997 by Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali Ambientali – Direzione
Generale per i Beni Librari e gli Istituti Culturali (the Italian Ministry for
Cultural Heritage) in the framework of the ADAPT Proegramme and co-ordinated by
Amitié, aimed to create a network of multimedia halls in twelve National
Libraries, focusing on providing training courses either for librarians,
workers and citizens. It ended in 2000.
Within
these libraries, each multimedia hall was equipped for e-learning with personal computers, printers,
scanner, video-conference kit and connected to the others through the Internet
so as to promote a collaborative learning environment, in order to facilitate
the partnership with enterprises interested in the promotion of the local
cultural and economic development and to set up similar spaces in other
libraries, situated in regions which were not involved in the project. Further
information can be found at http://www.cremisi.org
ABSIDE
Following the fruitful experiences brought in by the CREMISI project, the ABSIDE project (Apprendere in Biblioteca nella Società dell'Informazione per ridurre la Discriminazione e l'Emarginazione sociale – Learning within libraries in the Information Society to reduce social discrimination and exclusion) has just been approved in the framework of the EQUAL Programme.
The project aims to test how new models based on training
services offered by libraries, integrating training and accompanying measures,
can support activities targeting several discrimination and exclusion problems.
MEDIATECA
2000
The
Action Plan, promoted by the Ministry of Culture in cooperation with the
Italian Association of Libraries and with Italia Lavoro Spa in 1997, and
addressed to the introduction of new technologies in Italian libraries.
Supported
also by private actors such as Telecom Italia and by the national broadcaster
RAI, the Plan aimed at creating a network of “mediateques” and at training
librarians on the use of new technologies. The Plan foresaw the active
involvement of local administrations (namely, municipalities) in the design of
the network so to guarantee the provision of integrated information and
learning services.
IMAGO
On-line catalogue of graphic works (such as printings,
drawings, photographs, posters, picture cards, etc.) belonging to the following
institutions set n Emilia-Romagna Region: Biblioteca Passerini Landi, Piacenza,
Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe della Biblioteca Palatina, Parma, Archivio Storico
del Teatro Regio,Parma; Museo Renato Brozzi, Traversetolo, Parma; Biblioteca di
Storia dell’Arte Luigi Poletti, Modena; Museo della Figurina, Modena; Gabinetto
dei Disegni e delle Stampe della Biblioteca dell’Archiginnasio, Bologna;
Biblioteca del Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale G.Martini, Bologna;
Biblioteca del Museo del Risorgimento, Bologna; Galleria Comunale d’Arte
Moderna, Bologna; Museo di Palazzo Schifanoja, Ferrara; Biblioteca Manfredi,
Faenza; Biblioteca Classense, Ravenna; Pinacoteca Comunale, Ravenna; Biblioteca
A. Saffi, Forlì; Biblioteca Malatestiana, Cesena; Fondazione Tito Balestra,
Longiano; Biblioteca della Rubiconia Accademia dei Filopatridi, Savignano sul
Rubicone; Biblioteca Gambalunga, Rimini.
http://193.43.199.182/h3/h3/aimago
The catalogue currently contains 100.000 bibliographic information and
about 10.000 images related to the graphic works realized by Italian and
foreign authors since XV century.
IMAGES
Images databank, achieved through a project undertaken thanks to economic facilities allocated for the safeguard and exploitation of cultural assets, represents a peculiar national Index for graphic and cartographic material. The bank is fed by transferring images and information supplied by libraries and cultural institutions taking part in the project.
An experimental archive of images is
connected to the data bank; through a browser it allows the visualization of
prints and maps digitized by the participating institutions.
Thus, through various query channels, such as author, title, subject, year of
publication, access, the users is able to locate and examine works otherwise
available only after a long search.
Participants: Biblioteca Angelica - Roma, ICCU, Istituto Nazionale per la
Grafica, Biblioteca Palatina - Parma, Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana - Venezia,
Regione Emilia Romagna.
http://imagines.iccu.sbn.it/SEARCH/BASIS/illtest/all1/canali/SF
CENSUS OF ITALIAN 16TH CENTURY EDITIONS
EDIT 16
It aims at documenting Italian books printed during the 16th century and at reviewing the countrywide heritage. It includes editions printed in Italy between 1501 and 1600, in any language, and editions printed abroad in Italian.
Besides the titles, EDIT 16 also contains information about the authors, publishers, uniform titles, printers' devices and their digitalized pictures. It therefore can be used for direct searches on authors, printers and printers' devices (e.g. printers who used a given sign or a given device, or those who worked in a given place and in a given year, or the devices having the same motto, etc.).
Joint activities between libraries, museums and archives
N/A