Activities and Projects

The Project ensured fluidity and transparency in the process of handling and consulting the book patrimony on closed shelves. Simultaneously with the massive volume tagging campaign and the adoption of the RFID technological infrastructure, Information Systems has developed the moBi platform that allows the computerized management of the consultation request and loan procedure. Today it is possible to trace the entire process of the book: locate its position, check its availability or unavailability, check the times of the deposit for reading and of the book return, manage the loan safely and independently. 

The adoption of a unique RFID card was an integral part of the activities to relaunch collaboration between the institutions belonging to the Roman Jesuit Consortium. The intent behind the initiative was to facilitate the circulation of users of the Pontifical Gregorian University, the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical Oriental Institute in the circuit of the three Institutions and to encourage the sharing of some academic services. 

The Project was born from the urgency of recovering the Funds conserved in the Traspontina Depositoty, affected by a fungal attack, and from the intention to initiate a rigorous policy of prevention and protection of the book patrimony to ensure its correct conservation. The strategic plan of intervention had a first phase of infrastructural adjustment, to arrive at the optimal management of the parameters of temperature, relative humidity and aeration: following the environmental studies, it was possible to set the existing thermostats, install a new system humidity control and enhance the air recirculation inside the compactus shelving by drilling the side panels of the cabinets. After the activity on the depot, a team of specialized conservators carried out the de-dusting and disinfection of volumes and shelves; for the Ancients and Rare Fund, conditioning of specimens in bad condition has also been carried out. The success of the intervention and its certification by the ICRCPAL (Istituto Centrale per il Restauro e la Conservazione del Patrimonio Archivistico e Librario) are the basis of the current conservative policy of the Library, constantly engaged in checking environmental parameters and periodically checking the state of conservation of the book heritage. 

The project to revisit the architecture and content of the Web pages dedicated to the Library had the aim of communicating information and services in a more incisive and direct way. The new approach is based on the model adopted by most university libraries; the rationalization of the existing pages, the insertion of new places dedicated to regulations and projects, the care of the English translation have facilitated communication with real and potential users without sacrificing quality and institutional rigor. 

The Library of the Pontifical Gregorian University participates in the project and educational activities of the URBE Network. The aim to foster collaboration in the management of interlibrary services has given rise to the accession of 10 URBE Libraries to ACNP, the Italian national catalogue of periodicals that contains all bibliographic descriptions of Italian and foreign periodicals owned by the Italian libraries. The Project was developed to share information on the periodicals collections within the Network and at a national and international level.