- This page in Italian
The Institute of Library Science and Paleography forms part of the
Faculty of Humanities at the University of Parma. Opened in 1970, first in Italy in
the field, for 12 years (1975-1984), besides the annual courses for students enrolled in
the 4 years degree course in literature, it had been offering a two year post graduate
course intended to meet the specific needs of the library and information profession.
Many former students of the course, holder of the diploma, are now in charge of managing
positions in both public and State libraries. The Institute still mantains relationships with the alumni through recurrent meetings and seminars intended to update the professional knowledge of librarians mainly in the
field of new information technology.
At present, since 1992, the Institute takes part, inside the Faculty,
to the Corso di laurea in conservazione dei beni culturali
(Degree Course for Conservation of Cultural Heritage)
that is to say a 4 year course with a specific path of studies intended to provide
a wider and more intensive training in the field of preservation and exploitation
of cultural heritage, with particular regard to library patrimony.
The Director of the Institute of Library Science is also Dean of the
Corso di laurea.
The research activity of the Institute, to wich also students for their thesis and
librarians contribute, is addressed to different but related areas. There is a
programme of census of the editions published in the regional area throughout the
period of manual press (XV-XIX centuries): the research will lead to the
implementation of specific bibliographical databases to be searched by specialists
of the sectors but also by public libraries.
Another field of research is the management of libraries with attention to
their historical development: in Italy most of the public libraries date back to the
XIX century, when they were enriched by the collections alienated from religious
congragations by the unified State. In this field, are to be taken into consideration
both the problems related to the management of collections (organization of material,
classification, loan service ...) and the issue of professional training of
librarians mainly in the field of new technology.
Biblioteconomia a Parma - Home Page