Biblioteca Italiana delle Donne, Special library in Santa Cristina della Fondazza, Bologna, Italy
The Biblioteca Italiana delle Donne occupies 240 m² of the former Santa Cristina convent complex in Bologna, 215 m² of it open to the public. It faces an inner cloister with a Renaissance portico on one side and the Lavinia Fontana public garden on the other. Its holdings number 40,000 volumes and 495 periodicals, 48 of them current.
The library was founded in 1983 to fill a gap in documented history by gathering works about women's contributions. Since then it has expanded to house collections showing female presence across many fields.
The library reflects the role of women in Italian society through collections showing how female voices found space in literature and thought across different periods. Visitors can see how women's perspectives developed and changed through the centuries.
The library occupies 240 m² in the former Santa Cristina convent, 215 m² of which are open to the public. It faces an inner cloister with a Renaissance portico on one side and the Lavinia Fontana public garden on the other. It is a hybrid institution: the Orlando association runs its cultural programme while the Municipality of Bologna covers staff, premises and acquisitions.
The library occupies 240 m² of the former Santa Cristina convent, 215 m² of it open to the public, and holds 40,000 volumes plus 495 periodicals, 48 of them current. Its historical collection gathers 4,000 works printed before 1945, alongside donated funds such as those of Rosi Braidotti, Concetto Pozzati, Ida Gianelli (2014) and Laura Lilli (2016).
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