THE ARCHIVES
Close to the library are the archives, a small collection of documents,
meteorological and astronomical observations, papers and drawings related
to the scientific and administrative life of the Bologna Observatory.
The earliest documents date back to 1696, when a group of astronomers,
lead by
Eustachio Manfredi, planned the creation
of an astronomical institute and the building of the tower.
A reorganization of the archives is in progress, in order to give
electronic access to documents, but saving the original structure of the
archives itself.
The archives collect a group of letters written by and to the astronomers
of Bologna: e.g. see letters of Gian Domenico Cassini, Paris M. Salvago,
Luigi Ferdinando Marsigli, Johann Jakob Scheuchzer, Antoine F. Laval,
Ottaviano Fabrizio Mossotti and
Guido Horn d'Arturo.
Eighteenth century letters have been frequently searched, and many of
them have been published, while nineteenth and twentieth century
correspondence, which embraces a lesser number of letters, lies almost
unexplored.
Here is a guide to the Archives of the Bologna Department of Astronomy (in
italian).
The archives are open from monday to saturday, h. 9-14, on appointement
with Marina Zuccoli (Dipartimento di Astronomia - Universita' di
Bologna - Via Zamboni 33 - 40126 Bologna Italy - Tel. +51-259315/259309 -
Fax +51-259407 - e-mail zuccoli@astbo3.bo.astro.it.
Microfilm copies of documents can be made on request for
a small fee and mail expenses.
Dipartimento di Astronomia