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Places for culture - Biblioteche di Roma
A Place for Everyone. Of everyone
There are 33 libraries spread all over the city; 700,000 documents comprising books, videos, DVD , CDROM, over a million visitors every year, 800,000 books lent during 2005.
The Biblioteche di Roma, born in 1996 as an institution, was organised by combining the libraries which came under the relative districts now called "municipalities" in the same system. This has favoured the renewal, extension and enhancement of the facilities for the public and the branches.
The Biblioteche di Rome hallmark ensures the free right of access to thought, culture and information and promotes the growth of knowledge in all its forms, not only books but all the technological tools available, videos, musical and multimedia CD, work stations for Internet consultations, newspapers and magazines.
There is a choice of two types of enrolment, the bibliopass and the bibliocard, both valid for the entire library system. Children, young people, student, professionals, entrepreneurs, housewives and senior citizens can attend libraries and all its facilities.
The bibliopass is free of charge and gives the right to partake in the basic facilities: consulting documents, study, borrowing books and audiovisual media. The bibliocard offers further advantages: using the Internet, booking multimedia work stations and consulting bibliography. It offers discounts for bookshops, cinemas, performances, museums, courses and many entertainments in the city for adults and children.
The libraries in Rome contain a heritage of 628,400 volumes covering the classics, detective stories, Italian and foreign best sellers and all subjects: essays, literature, information, manuals, comics, encyclopaedias and books in the original language. 127,000 books are available for the younger public in special libraries and in the 27 sections for young people.
For those who are interested in cultural events, they can further choose from a large number of meetings with authors or book presentations. There are meetings and studies for all ages as well as numerous projects involving collaboration with Schools, Detention Centres, Bookshops and locally involved Libraries.
Book lovers and those who desire to meet other readers and exchange their opinions about their readings, may take part in reading circles, groups of readers who meet together to discuss the books they have read and decide upon which book should receive the Biblioteche di Roma Prize each year.