Catalogs of the main Italian libraries

Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense http://opac.braidense.it/

Biblioteca Ambrosiana https://ambrosiana.comperio.it/

Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze https://opac.bncf.firenze.sbn.it/bncf-prod/

Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma http://www.bncrm.beniculturali.it/it/909/opac-bncr

Collective catalogs

SBN (Servizio Bibliotecario Nazionale) https://opac.sbn.it/opacsbn/opac/iccu/free.jsp

ACNP (Archivio Collettivo Nazionale dei Periodici) https://acnpsearch.unibo.it/

Kubikat (Catalogo online dell’Unione delle biblioteche d’arte – Biblioteca Hertziana di Roma; Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz; Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte di Monaco di Baviera; Deutsches Forum für Kunstgeschichte di Parigi) https://aleph.mpg.de/F?func=file&file_name=find-b&local_base=kub01&con_lng=ita

Catalogs of foreign national libraries

Library of Congress (USA) https://catalog.loc.gov/

British Library (Gran Bretagna) https://www.bl.uk/catalogues-and-collections/catalogues

Bibliothèque Nationale de France (Francia) https://catalogue.bnf.fr/index.do

Biblioteca Nacional de España (Spagna) http://catalogo.bne.es/uhtbin/webcat

Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Germania) https://www.bsb-muenchen.de/

Koninklijke Bibliotheek (Olanda) https://www.kb.nl/en

Rossijskaja nacional'naja biblioteka (Russia - National Library) http://nlr.ru/eng/opac

National Library of China http://www.nlc.cn/newen/

Digital libraries

Biblioteca Digitale Lombarda https://www.bdl.servizirl.it/bdlfe/

Gallica https://gallica.bnf.fr/accueil/it/content/accueil-it?mode=desktop

Digitale Bibliothek – Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg https://www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/helios/digi/digilit.html

The history of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera’s library goes back to 1778 when the Administrator, Carlo Bianconi, started to collect and keep books, prints, engravings, drawings and xylographs in his office.

His successor, the painter, writer and intellectual Giuseppe Bossi, who was the Administrator from 1802 to 1807, also understood the importance and benefit of having a well-stocked library for art studies. He himself was willing to spend large sums in order to see the library kept current and up-to-date; he acquired a number of rare and invaluable books as well as prestigious collections through exchanges and purchases.

The library is also a depository for drawings and prints, as well as an archive and that is the reason why, in the current premises, inaugurated by President Sandro Pertini in 1984, all the resources relating to the Accademia’s Patrimony and assets are deposited: in the gallery there is the Archive with the Historical Resources of the Library, in the basement there is the Contemporary Art Library, the Painting Collection, the Drawings and Prints Room.

The Accademia’s Library of Contemporary Art , located in the underground levels of the building, is illuminated by a large skylight making it a particularly bright space.

It has approximately 40,000 volumes and numerous periodicals. It is a single room with open shelves which run all the way around the Reading Room which holds approximately 60 seats. 
The computerized cataloguing of the entire contemporary collection is underway. Bibliographic research must be carried out using first the library’s OPAC and subsequently the card catalogs.

Students are granted on-site consultation of the material while teachers can access the lending service. The reorganization and reclassification of library material carried out in  previous years, allows only the teaching staff to have direct access to the consultation of the different sections. There is, however, also for students, a section dedicated to direct consultations and reference use of Encyclopedias, general texts and dictionaries.

Acquisitions take place on an annual basis through the form of purchases and donations aimed at completing the already available series and keeping the library up-to-date. In the Reading Room there are nine computers available both for research work and for personal study use.

The library also has a periodicals section, made up in part by newspapers which have now been discontinued and by current subscriptions.

• THE LIBRARY IS OPEN FROM 9.00 TO 14.00 FROM MONDAY TO THURSDAY, AND FROM 9.30 TO 14.00 ON FRIDAYS. LAST ENTRY AND BOOK LOANS HALF AN HOUR BEFORE CLOSING

• IT IS FORBIDDEN TO USE THE LIBRARY FOR PURPOSES OR ACTIVITIES THAT CAUSE DISTURBANCE TO READERS IN ANY WAY

• THE USE OF LIBRARY TABLES FOR PERSONAL STUDY MUST ALLOW FOR EASY CONSULTATION FOR FELLOW LIBRARY USERS: ACTIVITIES SUCH AS DRAWING AND PAINTING ARE NOT ALLOWED

• THE USE OF MOBILE PHONES IN THE READING ROOM IS ABSOLUTELY FORBIDDEN

• IT IS FORBIDDEN TO KEEP DRINKS ON THE TABLES AND CONSUME FOOD DURING CONSULTATION AND REFERENCE ACTIVITIES

• ANY BAGS, BACKPACKS AND PERSONAL BELONGINGS MUST BE DEPOSITED IN THE DESIGNATED KEY LOCKERS (UPON ENTERING THE READING ROOM). THE MANAGEMENT IS NOT HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE THEFT OF ANY VALUABLE ITEMS LEFT UNATTENDED ON THE TABLES

• THERE IS NO PHOTOCOPYING SERVICE. SCANS ARE ALLOWED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THOSE VOLUMES IN POOR REPAIR OR IN PRECARIOUS CONDITION

• THE REQUEST FOR VOLUMES TO BE CONSULTED IS LIMITED TO THREE AND IN ANY CASE THE USER CANNOT HAVE MORE THAN THREE BOOKS AT THE SAME TIME.

• THE BOOK LENDING SERVICE IS ONLY FOR TEACHERS AND EXCLUSIVELY FOR TEXTS PUBLISHED IN THE 1900S AND FOR A MAXIMUM OF THREE IN NUMBER (TO BE RETURNED WITHIN A MONTH).

• THE USE OF THE LIBRARY IS RESERVED TO ACCADEMIA STUDENTS AND ITS TEACHING STAFF. CONSULTATION AND REFERENCE WORK IS ALLOWED TO THOSE EXTERNAL SCHOLARS UPON REQUEST AND SUBJECT TO THE AUTHORIZATION OF THE MANAGEMENT

The Library is open to students and teaching staff of the Accademia and external scholars, only upon authorized request

From Monday to Thursday from 9.00 to 17.50

Fridays from 9.30 to 17.50

Access is only available for consultation of library volumes and by appointment to be fixed by writing an email to biblioteca@accademiadibrera.milano.it