The official foundation of the current National University Library of Turin dates back to 1723 when, by the will of sovereign Victor Amadeus II of Savoy, the three main library collections present in the city were merged into the new premises of the Royal University on Via Po: the books of the Municipality; the collection of the Royal University, generally linked to the needs of professors and students; the books of the crown, collected by the Dukes of Savoy.
The Library of the Royal University distinguished itself immediately for the cataloging work of the manuscript heritage, undertaken by Abbot Francesco Domenico Bencini, but above all by Abbot Giuseppe Pasini of Padua, prefect between 1745 and 1770, who published, together with Antonio Rivautella and Francesco Berta, former Typographia Regia, the catalog Codices manuscripti Bibliothecae Regii Taurinensis Athenaei per linguas digesti et binas in parte distributi.
The Institute also increased its print book collection, thanks to the privilege granted of the right to print, substantial donations, and the purchase of various collections. Additional collections arrived following the suppression of the Society of Jesus, and during the Napoleonic era when monastic suppressions led to the seizure of numerous ecclesiastical libraries with a book heritage of more than 30,000 volumes.
The richness of the collections preserved in the 19th century meant that the Library, at the time of the reorganization of Italian libraries, which took place with the Royal Decree of January 20, 1876, was included among those with first-degree autonomy and awarded the title of National in addition to the traditional University, as it was entrusted “to represent, in its continuity and generality, the progress and state of Italian and foreign culture”.
In 1904, a catastrophic event shocked the life of the Institute: on the night between January 25 and 26, five rooms of the library caught fire, irreparably compromising the section of manuscripts, the Piedmontese incunabula, the Aldine editions, and the reference section.
During the 20th century, acquisitions continued, including very precious collections; during World War II, in the bombing of Turin on December 8, 1942, more than 15,000 volumes were destroyed (including geographic ones with ancient atlases rich in maps) and parts of the general catalog.
In 1957, construction began on the current building in Piazza Carlo Alberto, which was completed in 1973 when the volumes and offices were moved.
On October 15, 1973, the new Library was inaugurated. Two years later, the management of the Institute passed from the Ministry of Public Education to the newly established Ministry of Cultural and Environmental Heritage, and in 1998 to the new Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities.
Information about the National University Library
Piazza Carlo Alberto 3,
10123 Turin (Turin)
011.8101113 .8101150
bnto@librari.beniculturali.it
https://www.bnto.librari.beniculturali.it
Source: MIBACT
