CORDIS Archive : CORDIS: Telematics for Libraries: Report on the situation of libraries, museums and archives

You are here: Telematics / Libraries / Background

Digicult Home

Supporting Pages: DE | ES | FR | IT

ACTIVITIES

BACKGROUND

Support documentation

Policy

FOCUS

CONTACTS

Updated: MAR 99

Report on the situation of libraries, museums and archive

Italy

This report was prepared in December 1997 by the Italian National Focal Point for the European Commission's Libraries Sector. It forms part of a series prepared by the various NFPs in the countries covered. Further background information is available at the introductory page.

A. Current Italian NFP structure

The Osservatorio dei Programmi Internazionali per le Biblioteche (OPIB)was created in 1989 by the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage (Ministero per i Beni Culturali e Ambientali) to act as the Italian National Focal Point for the Libraries Programme of the European Commission. In 1994 the OPIB was set up by law (l. 7/2/94, n. 99) within the Central office for libraries (Ufficio centrale per i beni librari, le istituzioni culturali e l'editoria) of the Ministry. In 1998, according to the suggestions of the European Commission, a working group with representatives of archives, libraries and museum was set up within the OPIB, in order to foster the collaboration of the three "memory institutions" in partecipating in the actions of the V Framework Programme.

The OPIB carries out the following tasks:

to collect and disseminate information on international programmes and projects related to libraries and cultural heritage;
to promote initiatives to encourage the participation of Italian libraries, archives, and museums, and cultural institutions in international programmes and projects;
to ensure the link between national and international programmes and projects;
to foster collaboration between "memory institutions" and the private sector.

The OPIB, as the National Focal Point (NFP) for the implementation of key actions related to cultural heritage and multimedia within the FP:

acts as interface between the EC, other European countries and Italian library world;
collects and disseminates documentation;
holds information days, workshops, seminars etc.;
assists project participants in finding partnership.

The OPIB is composed of personal depending on the Ministry:

deputy director: Rossella Caffo (librarian)
consultant: Rossella Caffo (librarian)
secretarial staff: Nataniela Luzzi Conti, Anna Carbone, Nerio Poggi, Susanna Spezia.

A Scientific Committee of representatives of the National Libraries of Rome and Florence, the Central Institute for Union Catalogue of the Italian Libraries (ICCU), Italian National Sound Archive (Discoteca di Stato), Regions and Universities, collaborates with the OPIB.

B. Organisational framework of libraries, museums and archives in Italy

In Italy the public administration is decentralised so libraries, museums and archives depend on different administrations and there is not a central body to co-ordinate them:

The most important libraries, museums and all the state archives depend on the Ministry for Cultural Heritage (Ministero per i Beni Culturali e Ambientali.
Libraries within the universities (department libraries, etc.) depend on the Ministry of University and Research (Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica).
School libraries depend on the Ministry of Education (Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione), including Conservatoire libraries.
Public libraries, local museums and local archives depend on Local Administrations (Comuni).
Schools fro archivists (17). Since they operate within State Archives they depend on the Ministry of Education.

Ministry for Cultural Heritage and its Activities

The Ministry was created in 1974 and set up by law (L. 14-12-74, n.657 and l. 3-12-75, n.805). The Ministry provides safeguard and exploitation of Italian cultural heritage. It is organized in the following Central Offices:

Central office for architectural, archaeological, artistical and historical heritage (Ufficio centrale per i beni ambientali, architettonici, archeologici, artistici e storici)
Central office for archives (Ufficio centrale per i beni archivistici)
Central office for libraries (Ufficio centrale per i beni librari, le istituzioni culturali e l'editoria)
Central office for environmental and landscape heritage (Ufficio centrale per i beni ambientali e paesaggistici)
Central office for administration (Ufficio centrale per gli affari generali amministrativi e del personale).

On the Ministry depend also 4 Central Institutes:

Central Institute for the catalogue of artistic heritage (Istituto centrale per il catalogo e la documentazione)
Central Institute for the union catalogue of Italian libraries (Ufficio centrale per il catalogo unico delle biblioteche italiane e per le informazioni bibliografiche)
Central Institute for books restoration (Istituto centrale per la patologia del libro)
Central Institute for restoration (Istituto centrale per il restauro)
I.C.A. (Istituto Centrale per gli Archivi - Central Institute for Archives)

On the Ministry depend:

47 state libraries
95 state archives repositories
64 Monuments, Archaeological Sites and Fine Arts Offices (Soprintendenze per i beni archeologici, storici, architettonici e artistici. On those Offices depend state museums, monuments and archaeological sites.
20 Archive Offices (Soprintendenze archivistiche) for 20 Italian Regions. Those Offices have the responsability of safeguard in the field of non governmental archives.

Provincial Administrations (Provincie)

On those administrations depend 20 Provincial Libraries; the majority of them are in Central and Southern Italy.

Regions (Regioni)

On the Regional Offices depend the safeguard of local libraries heritage, and the coordination of public libraries on the territory.

C. Co-operation between them

Synergy between the different kind of libraries in Italy depend on the good will of administrations and of librarians. As far as the archives are concerned, cooperation is ensured by the Archive Offices, external supervisory bodies for Archives which do not belong to the State. The same for museums. There are not cordinated programmes and structures of cooperation. The only exemple of coordination in the field of libraries is the Central Institute for Union Catalogue of the Italian Libraries (ICCU). This project created the national network of libraries (now 800 libraries of any kind) and was carried out by the collaboration among The Ministry for Cultural Heritage, the regions and the universities.

The Ministry for Cultural Heritage gives lines and criteria for a policy in the sectors of art, libraries, archives and culture.

D. Professional situation of librarians, museum experts and archivists in Italy

Librarians, archivists, archaeologists, architects and art historians depending on public administrations (State, Local Authorities and Universities) are recruited by public competitive examination and for the highest level a degree is requested.

In Italy in the last years, some Universities have created courses specialized in cultural heritage., with a section for librarianship.

In Italy there are three professional associations: Associazione Italiana Biblioteche (AIB) for librarians; Associazione Nazionale Archivistica Italiana (ANAI) for archivists; Assotecnici for archaeologists, art historians and architects. Architects in Italy have also a national roll.

The Italian National Focal Point in December 1997:

Osservatorio dei Programmi Internazionali per le Biblioteche - OPIB

Via Milano 76
I - 00184 ROMA
Tel.: +39-6-474 29 20
Fax: +39-6-474 28 72

Secretary: Dr. Maria SICCO
Email: opib.it@agora.stm.it

The Italian National Focal Point in March 1999

European Commission
DG Information Society
Cultural Heritage Applications Unit
Contact: Concha Fernandez de la Puente
e-mail: concha.fpuente@ec.europa.eu

This page is maintained bydigicult

	Search ISTweb	EC home	FP5 home	Disclaimer
IST news	More links	DG Information Society	IST calls	Back to top