Progress of the works

Changes to room opening hours and service provision

The redevelopment project of the Biblioteca di Studi giuridici e umanistici required the closure of Sala Crociera and Sala Diritto pubblico (public law reading room) for the entire duration of the works in order to allow the refurbishment of the spaces and the necessary installation works. At present, work is affecting the following rooms and collections:

• Sala Sottocrociera

The room will remain closed until the opening of the new Biblioteca di Studi giuridici e umanistici. Access to the collections normally held in the room is currently provided through a service point in Sala Centrale, according to the following procedures:
Journals: available for consultation in Sala Centrale upon request by email to info.bsgu@unimi.it. For organisational reasons, users are asked to send requests at least one day in advance and to wait for a confirmation email before coming to the room.
Monographs: partly available for loan through requests made via the Minerva catalogue, and partly available for consultation following the same procedures as for journals.
Please note that not all journals with titles from BUL to PEN are currently accessible.

• Storia del diritto

Part of the Storia del diritto collections (shelfmark 67.01) will not be available until the beginning of May 2026.
 

Current status of the project

The project for the creation of the New Law and Humanities Library began with the redevelopment of Sala Centrale, inaugurated in January 2023. The room was completely refurbished and expanded with the addition of a new space, Sala B, overlooking the Cortile d’Onore. The new furniture and lighting system ensure a comfortable environment for individual study. The 288 study places were reorganised with the addition of open shelving in order to make the collections held in the room directly accessible.

In July 2023, the refurbishment of Sala Crociera began in order to replace the flooring and install new systems (lighting and air conditioning). The monograph and journal collections previously housed in the room were transferred to the stacks and made available to users on request through Sala Centrale. At the same time, work began on the new entrance and staircase that will connect access between the ground floor and the basement level.

In the following months, the former Sala di Diritto internazionale and the adjacent Public Law area were closed to allow the refurbishment of the premises. The collections of Public Law and Administrative and Constitutional Law remain available on request through Sala Centrale, while the International Law collections were relocated to Sala Common Law, where new compact shelving has meanwhile been installed, significantly increasing the room’s capacity.

In autumn 2023, Sala del Settecento was also affected by expansion works, with the installation of new compact shelving (bringing the room’s capacity to approximately 6 km of shelving). In addition, the adjacent Manhattan classroom was incorporated into the room and completely refurbished to provide the academic community with a comfortable space for individual study.

In December 2024, Sala Sottocrociera was closed to allow further refurbishment of the area and the removal of old furniture; the collections remain partially accessible upon request through Sala Centrale.
Building works are still ongoing in Crociera, Sottocrociera and the Area Pozzo (which includes the former Sala di Diritto internazionale and the spaces of Public Law). In 2026, work will begin on replacing the flooring of the library stacks in order to install new compact shelving. Throughout the works in the stacks, access to most of the collections will nevertheless be guaranteed, as they will be placed on open shelves in Sala del Settecento.

Once all building works and the relocation of materials in the stacks have been completed, the complex process of emptying, furnishing and refilling the library rooms will begin, leading to the final installation of Nuova Crociera.