Activities and Projects

The project for the adaptation of the lights in the Reading Rooms required an in-depth lighting study, to reconcile the comfort of the users and the conservation of the books. The activity led to the revision of the lighting system in the Modern Hall, and the strengthening of that of the walkways in the Historic Hall, thus recovering the atmosphere and the scenographic sense of the environment.

After some serious consideration and an accurate study carried out by Library and Library Council, Academic Authorities approved the extension of Loan Service to Doctoral Students. Thechical, IT and infrastuctural changes were necessary to upgrade the service; at the same time, article n. 4 of Library Rules has been rewritten. The article is about policies, penalties and which users categories and documents are allowed. From now, Phd Students can use one of most important library services.

After the closure imposed by the COVID-19 emergency, the Library reopened to the public on Monday, May 18th 2020 by applying a rigorous access protocol, whose planning was conceived with absolute respect for the health of users and staff. Although the opening hours have not changed, compliance with government safety provisions has required the reduction of study stations and the quota of entrances. Therefore an online booking system has been developed through moBi, the platform for managing and requesting volumes for consultation. In the reopening plan access and permanence were intended as aimed exclusively at consulting works and scientific documentation in paper format, and for this reason, already in the lockdown phase, the offer of electronic resources accessible also off campus was expanded through the OpenAthens service. Staff activities have been reorganized on the basis of the coexistence of smart working and face-to-face work. The emergency situation led to the strengthening of some activities, the weakening or suspension of others, as well as a certain creativity in the provision of services, in the idea of ​​a gradual release and a progressive increase in the same, where circumstances allow for it.

As part of a more general review plan of collections, the Library has structured a review of the series of books received by subscription. Supported by Library Council, the project envisaged a qualitative analysis of titles based on pertinance and coverage standards.

The Project led to the creation of the Integrated Catalogue of the Library and Historical Archives, aiming to amplify the research and retrieve, through a single query, of all documentary resources preserved by the Pontifical Gregorian University. A fully integrated tool is now available to scholars in which the bibliographic information of the printed and electronic collections kept by the Library is poured and in which the data relating to the manuscripts and archival papers preserved in the Historical Archive is also represented.