Indice degli autori

Abstract:  THE “VITTORIO EMANUELE” LIBRARY OF THE COLLEGIO ROMANO The “Vittorio Emanuele” National Library was strongly desired by the ruling classes responsible for the unification of Italy. It was founded by Ruggero Bonghi, the minister of public instruction, and inaugurated on march 14, 1876 in the premises of the Collegio Romano. The new institution contained the Jesuits’ Bibliotheca Maior and over 360,000 volumes confiscated from over 60 other religious institutions. Controversy and inquests characterized the library’s first years. In 1882, Domenico Gnoli became its director. He managed putting the library in order and disciplining the staff, making the service functional and rational. By the first years of the century, the organization and availability of space had become the library’s most significant problem. during the 1930s the problem of a new location for the library was so frequently discussed that it became a public issue which was often debated by the press and acquired political implications. The discussion on the future of the “Vittorio Emanuele” Library started again after the war, but the problem of the building’s stability, and the need for more space, forced it to close down. The construction of a new edifice could not be postponed any longer. In 1972, nearly a century after its inauguration, the transferal of the “Vittorio Emanuele” Library to its new headquarters in the Castro Pretorio area was completed.