The library development project

Mission

The Biblioteca di Studi giuridici e umanistici (BSGU) supports learning, study, research and Third Mission activities, in line with the institutional mission of the University and the strategic guidelines of the University Library Service. To achieve this, the library:

• provides and promotes access to print collections held in the library and electronic resources through the Digital Library
• supports access to high-quality scholarly knowledge through guidance, welcome and training services
• offers a multifunctional space for cultural exchange and academic interaction, open to the wider community of the city and surrounding area
• preserves and enhances its rare and valuable collections

The redevelopment project of the Biblioteca di Studi giuridici e umanistici is based on the awareness that the library’s mission – and therefore its activities – must be continually redefined in order to respond effectively to users’ needs. These needs are constantly evolving, in line with the emergence of new information resources and research tools, particularly in the digital environment.

The library development project

The library development project arose from the opportunity to refurbish and reorganise the spaces of the Biblioteca di Studi giuridici e umanistici, which have been significantly expanded through the installation of new compact shelving.

In order to create a functional library able to meet the needs of all categories of potential users, the first phase of the project involved mapping and analysing the collections, with the aim of identifying:

• the presence of duplicate copies, both of books and of journal titles and issues
• disciplinary areas that are poorly represented or not fully aligned with users’ research needs
• obsolete materials or items in poor physical condition

The analysis of collection usage data revealed limited use of traditional reference tools (such as bibliographies, dictionaries and encyclopaedias), largely due to the availability of digital resources and the widespread use of the web to meet less complex information needs.

This analysis highlighted the opportunity to reorganise the placement of monographs and periodicals more rationally, creating four hubs dedicated respectively to course reading lists (Sala Centrale), law and humanities collections (Nuova Crociera), modern special collections (Sala del Settecento), and rare and historical collections (Sala Senato). Within these four spaces, books and journals will be arranged on open shelves, organised into coherent disciplinary sections and related subject areas, allowing students and academic staff to locate materials more easily and efficiently. Materials that are consulted less frequently or require particular conservation measures will be stored in the library stacks – appropriately refurbished – or in rooms dedicated to historical and rare collections.

In order to carry out the analysis, it was necessary to develop automated procedures for identifying and checking duplicate copies and to define criteria for selection, preservation and withdrawal to guide the relocation of volumes within the new spaces. Part of the library development project also addressed cataloguing issues arising from the need to merge, within the library management system, sections that historically belonged to different libraries.

The project involved a complex process of relocating library materials carried out in several phases. During this period, every effort was made to maintain access to books and journals as far as possible, with priority given to continuity of service and the availability of the collections.