The Fondazione Baruchello Library contains books which date back to the late 19th century. The oldest sections consist of the Camillo Manfroni and Mario Baruchello Funds and include books, publications, and journals on the History of the navy and the colonies (1870 – 1940), history of Medicean Tuscany and the city of Livorno, as well as economics and the history of the fascist period in Italy.
Gianfranco Baruchello has ensured the preservation of this part of the Library by enriching it with volumes on visual arts, psychoanalysis, philosophy, fiction, poetry, cinema, and politics. In addition to these sections, which are constantly being updated and expanded upon, the Library also includes texts on agriculture, animal husbandry, adventure, ethnology and anthropology, fable, natural sciences, social sciences, history, theater, travel, and comics, all of which have been accumulated over time as a result of Baruchello’s artistic research and interest. The Library has become a rich resource for knowledge on different disciplines, practices, and fields of interest.

Since 1998, the Library has become increasingly specialized in the areas of art, art criticism, philosophy, and aesthetics, with volumes outlining the changes that art goes through in the global and transnational world.
In addition to constantly expanding its holdings through the purchase of books, monographs, and journals, the Library has also been characterized in recent years by the acquisition of funds of great historical relevance: the Fund of the poet Emilio Villa (manuscripts, books that belonged to the poet, unpublished works such as the Etymological Dictionary and the Mythological Dictionary), the Nanni Balestrini Fund (political history, poetry, and journals), the Alberto Grifi Fund (underground culture and experimental cinema), and the Trulli Fund (contemporary art).
Part of the Library consists of the Gianfranco Baruchello Archives, which include catalogs, manuscripts, documents and correspondence, photographs, films and videos.
The Library has also been the site of initiatives and projects concerning the reading and repurposing of historically important journals and publications for debates and artistic projects.

 

Hours:

9 a.m.–6 p.m., opening times adhere to the current calendar for public offices. There is a closure in August for internal organization.

 

Access Requirements:

Italian and foreign citizens who are 16 years of age or older may access the Baruchello Archives Library and Consultation Room at Via di Santa Cornelia 695, free of charge. To access services, users must present a photo identification document and fill out a card application form. With the card, which is valid for one year and renewable, he or she will receive a copy of these regulations (see Annex A). To access consultation of the Library and Archives it is necessary to fill out and sign the Consultation Authorization Form, provided by the Fondazione Baruchello, containing the Library Regulations. The form should indicate your full name, contact information, institution or other entity for which you are conducting research, subject of research, archival collections and related archival units for which you are requesting consultation.