Cantonal Library of Lugano

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Cantonal Library of Lugano

The primary goal of the cantonal library of Lugano ( Biblioteca cantonale di Lugano ) is to spread Italian culture. To this end, it is based in particular on the areas of literature and history. In addition to this main task, the KBL is also responsible for the cantonal cultural heritage and the provision of information and documentation for the general public. The Cantonal Library of Lugano is supported by three other libraries (in Bellinzona , Locarno and Mendrisio ).

history

The Lugano Cantonal Library was founded in 1852 after a series of reforms of the political authority. It was attached to the Liceo (grammar school) ( belonging to the monastery of San Antonio ). The Libreria Patria began collecting in 1861, the aim of which was to keep all works by Ticino writers or about the canton as well as works that were printed in the canton of Ticino in the canton library . In 1904 the KBL moved into the new education building in Lugano : on this occasion it also received new regulations, greater financial resources and a new director. In 1936 an architecture competition was announced in which only participants from Ticino were allowed to submit project proposals. In 1941, the current KBL building was built according to the design by Rino Tami and Carlo Tami and inaugurated in June 1942. From this point on, the library was independent of the grammar school. After the Second World War, the library became more and more important, mainly due to the increasing number of school children. This soon led to logistical problems. In 2003 the federal government granted the library a loan for its expansion. In 1989 the library began automating its holdings. Since 1993 there have been a total of four cantonal libraries that complement each other; these are located in Lugano, Bellinzona , Locarno and Mendrisio . In 2003, the computerization of the catalog began: the Medea project was completed in 2004.

Duration

Today (as of 2007) the KBL owns around 300,000 documents and 1,300 journals. The collection also includes a large number of audiovisual documents, including CD-ROMs, DVDs (around 500 films), microfilms, databases and a collection of web pages.

The library also has a historical collection ( Fondo Antico ), which consists of the collections of five monastery libraries that were secularized in the middle of the 19th century. The collection includes 198 incunabula in particular ; 100 of these incunabula were donated to the library in 1962 by the bibliophile Ticino Sergio Colombi . In total, the historical inventory counts 20,000 volumes.

The KBL also preserves the estate of the journalist, writer and publisher Giuseppe Prezzolini , which was acquired in 1978 from the Canton of Ticino by the library manager Adriano Soldini .

Catalogs

An online catalog for the 300,000 documents. The library also has card catalogs for all books that came into the library before 1990. The journals are currently being systematically cataloged.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Annette Gigon, Mike Guyer, et al. (Ed.): Library buildings . gta Verlag at the ETH Zurich, Zurich 2018, ISBN 978-3-85676-381-7 , p. 133 .

Coordinates: 46 ° 0 '15.5 "  N , 8 ° 57' 34.4"  E ; CH1903:  717 814  /  95891