Finalità e significato del restauro dei manoscritti nel secolo XV

The present contribution is aimed at shedding focused light on some, or at least a few aspects of a (possibly) heightened ‘Humanistic’ awareness of the fact that manuscript materials are in constant need of a preservation policy. During the Humanistic period, within the frame of a renewed interest in Ancient Paganism and Christianity, an increasing amount of hardly well-known, if not almost entirely forgotten antique writings emerged. A question arises: did Humanists show a somewhat concern on material aspects such as restoration and conservation of written documents? We firstly examine the Latin technical terminology; then we discuss a passage from a letter by Ambrogio Traversari, in which an apparent allusion to an incipient, though stilly rudimentary preservation practice is detectable. Eventually, we endeavour to establish if such a practice is somewhat retraceable within the library of Nicholas the fifth, and then within the early Vatican Library.

Des flammes à l’écran

On 26 May 1944, the library of Chartres was destroyed by fire. Of its 518 medieval manuscripts, mainly coming from the cathedral and the abbey of Saint-Père-en-Vallée, about 40% survive in fragments of varied states of conservation. The manuscripts were restored at the Bibliothèque nationale of Paris between 1944 and 1948. Since 2005, l’Institut de recherche et d’histoire des textes (CNRS) has directed a complex project that includes the digitalisation of manuscripts (in some cases, following the relaxation of the parchment), their publication in the IRHT virtual library (BVMM, Bibliothèque virtuelle des manuscrits médiévaux), the virtual rearrangement of fragments in their correct order, the study of manuscripts, theirs owners and old libraries, the maintenance and up-dates of the dedicated website.

Note sui bibliotecari e la tutela dei beni librari

The aim of this contribution is to try to highlight how competencies about preservation and conservation are considered by Italian librarians, especially after some new rules and in reference to some recent documents and position papers, with a specific focus on public libraries.

La conservazione preventiva del patrimonio librario come possibile alternativa al restauro tradizionale

The present paper focuses on the close relation between library collections and their preservation environment, aiming, in particular, at highlighting the importance of promoting and sustaining the monitoring. The paper proposes some simple and ready-to-use technologies – smart monitoring – to prevent future damages.

I bibliotecari nelle nuove soprintendenze

The paper is about the reorganisation of the Authorities for book and archives of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage. After an examination of the new legislation, some procedure inconsistencies are outlined and the role of librarians is discussed.

Gli archivisti e la tutela del patrimonio archivistico

ANAI’s goal is right now to formulate working hypotheses for a new conservative dimension and protection of the archival sector, where ‘conservation’ does not only mean the technical and logistical problem of physical or virtual storage and application tools to be developed, but first of all issues concerning the role and authority of archival administration, and the need to establish strategic alliances within, and especially outside, the specific area and the reference ministry. The matter is also creating a network among the operators, and clamping the ranks and working closely in order to enforce the extraordinary heritage that all countries have and do not always know how to fully exploit. And even in view of this, on 12th June 2012 the presidents of national professional associations of librarians (AIB), museum (ICOM) and archivists (ANAI) created the MAB (Museums, Archives, Libraries), a coordination of Associations.

Le Soprintendenze bibliografiche dello Stato

The intervention sums up the story of the bibliographic Superintendences, ministerial offices funded in 1919 and transferred to the Regions in 1972, and talks about their positioning within the history of the cultural policies from the Italian unification onwards. Sources used have been legislative and regulatory acts, essays on the subject from different periods and written testimonies of sector’s operators. The immediate reason for this has been the need to study the development of state and regional policies on this matter when reform interventions deeply modify the balance of the last forty years. The survey has outlined also the persistence of never-solved problems in the planning of public interventions: for example, different functions have been managed by eclectic structures and at the same time the performance of the single functions has been fragmented based on their own institutions.

Biblioteche e archivi tra valorizzazione e tutela

Italian Regions were responsible for the safekeeping of historical library holdings from 1972 to 2015, when a State law returned such duties to the State. However, that law did not provide for specific training of the officials on the subjects they are supposed to deal with. The paper focuses on some of the critical issues deriving from that institutional reform, which has had a negative impact on the preservation and conservation activities that, in accordance with the Italian legislation (Codice dei beni culturali e del paesaggio), play an important role in the protection of our cultural heritage.

Il passaggio di competenze nell’esportazione dei beni librari: tutto è cambiato, perché nulla cambi?

The author – taking a cue from the entry into force of l.n. 125/15, which has (re)transferred to the State the competence regarding the protection of the old paper – addresses the regulatory coordination issues that have led to a situation of handicapped protection of cultural heritage for several months after the entry into force of l.n. 125/15. In the second part of the article, the authordescribes- with an operating cutting – the largest administrative critical for the protection of rare books, identifying practical solutions, and operationally could help the administration of the Italian cultural heritage to come out of an atavistic impasse.