Florence to Build Italy's Largest Archaeology Library with 100,000 Volumes

Florence is set to host Italy's largest archaeology library, with a budget of €450,000 and a collection of over 100,000 volumes spanning prehistory to the Middle Ages. The library will be housed in the Loggia di Luni of Palazzo Crocetta, the current seat of the Museo Archeologico's archive, which was founded in 1871. The project merges the existing 50,000-volume collection, including the Medici and Lorraine collections from the Uffizi, with 20,000 volumes from the Studi Etruschi ed Italici and 30,000 from the Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protostoria. A luxurious reading room with a Medici garden will be available. The opening is scheduled for late 2017. The London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre (LAARC), part of the Museum of London, holds the Guinness World Record as the largest archaeology archive with over 5 million items.