Milano's Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense at Risk of Closure by 2022
James M. Bradburne and Maria Goffredo, who serve as the general director and director of the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense in Milan, have issued a warning that the library could face closure by 2022 without necessary measures. Currently, it operates with just one librarian and 27 staff members. Recognized as Italy's third most significant public library, following those in Rome and Florence, the Braidense is celebrated for its impressive architecture and extensive literary collection. This situation underscores a broader crisis affecting libraries across Italy, which is met with a lack of political concern. The article contrasts this decline with advancements in library architecture worldwide, referencing the Black Diamond in Copenhagen and Oodi Central Library in Helsinki. Historian Carlo Ginzburg discusses the unexpected finds in libraries during a 28 November 2018 interview. Written by Gabriella De Marco.
Key facts
- James M. Bradburne and Maria Goffredo launched an appeal about the risk of closure of the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense in Milan by 2022.
- Without intervention, the library would have only one librarian and 27 employees.
- The Braidense is considered the third most important public library in Italy after the National Libraries of Rome and Florence.
- The crisis is part of a national emergency affecting Italian libraries.
- Examples of successful contemporary library architecture include the Black Diamond in Copenhagen, Oodi in Helsinki, and the Spijkenisse library by MVRDV.
- The Spijkenisse library was completed in 2012 and includes commercial activities.
- Carlo Ginzburg's quote from a 28 November 2018 interview in la Repubblica is cited.
- Gabriella De Marco is a professor at the University of Palermo.
Entities
Artists
- James M. Bradburne
- Maria Goffredo
- Renzo Piano
- Santiago Calatrava
- Zaha Hadid
- Carlo Ginzburg
- Simonetta Fiori
- Gabriella De Marco
- Michelangelo
Institutions
- Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense
- Pinacoteca di Brera
- Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana
- Reale Biblioteca del Monastero di San Lorenzo dell'Escorial
- Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana
- Royal Danish Library
- Oodi Central Library
- ALA Architects
- Central University Library of Trento
- University of Zurich Law Faculty Library
- Vienna University of Economics and Business Library
- MVRDV
- University of Palermo
- la Repubblica
- Artribune
Locations
- Milan
- Italy
- Rome
- Florence
- Copenhagen
- Denmark
- Helsinki
- Finland
- Trento
- Zurich
- Switzerland
- Vienna
- Austria
- Spijkenisse
- Netherlands
- Rotterdam
- Tianjin
- China
- Madrid
- Spain