Guido Horn d'Arturo (1879-1967)
Involved people at OAB:
The "Guido Horn d'Arturo" Library is managed jointly by the Department of Astronomy of the Bologna University and the Bologna Astronomical Observatory, according to the agreement between the two institutes for the sharing of facilities.
In 1999 the two main events were the transfer of all library stock and facilities from the ancient site of via Zamboni - where they had lain for more than two hundred years - to a new building in a nearby area, and the dedication of the library to the memory of Guido Horn d'Arturo.
The former event required a notable effort, as it implied not only a huge move, but also a complete re-organization of the library stock. This has been located in the new premises according to a more rational and user-friendly scheme, now entirely in accordance with the alphabetical order for as much as the reading rooms are concerned.
The dedication of the library to Guido Horn d'Arturo took place on June 14th, during a celebration ceremony.
The "Guido Horn d'Arturo" library dates back to the foundation of the Observatory of Bologna in the early XVIII century, and nowadays is specialized in astronomy and astrophysics. It now owns about 6000 modern books, receives more than 90 specialized serials, has an important historical section, a section of non-book materials, a notable collection of publications by both Italian and foreign astronomical observatories.
The library provides access to all the available full-text electronic
editions of journals for which there is a paper subscription.
It has a computer catalogue of monographes and grey
literature which is available online (telnet session) and is part of
various collective OPACs: SBN (Servizio Bibliotecario Nazionale),
CUBAI (Catalogo Unico delle Biblioteche Astronomiche Italiane),
ACNP (Archivio Collettivo Nazionale Periodici).
With regard to ACNP, 1999 marked the end of an important task:
the cataloguing
of all the periodicals and publications of astronomical observatories and
institutes in stock was completed (up to a thousand records now in ACNP).
The library offers a document delivery and interlibrary loan service
(in 1999: 119 papers supplied, 28 requested from other libraries; 6
interlibrary loans; 184 opuscula and catalogues of exhibitions sent out).
The library recognizes as its primary users the students of the Astronomy
course at the University of Bologna and local astronomers. It also
provides documents to amateur astronomers, school teachers and scientists,
such as physicists, historians and philosophers of science. Students from
the scientific Departments of the University of Bologna are welcome.
Registered users are about 680 (
borrowings in 1999).
The antique section owns most of the publications written by the astronomers of Bologna since the XVIII century, e.g. the "Schedae Mathematicae" by Vittorio Stancari, the "Ephemerides Bononienses" and other works by Eustachio Manfredi, Eustachio Zanotti, Ignazio Calandrelli (Rome, 1792-1866). It includes books of the private library of Manfredi and several older books, of XVI and XVII centuries, of general astronomical interest (Tycho Brahe's "Astronomiae instauratae mechanica", Kepler's "Astronomia nova", Copernicus' "De revolutionibus" and many others). Close to the astronomy library are the Archives, a remarkable collection of documents, meteorological and astronomical observations, papers and drawings related to the scientific and administrative life of the Bologna Observatory dating back to 1679. In 1999 the antique section registered 23 consultations of antique books or archives documents, 20 requests for bibliographic information; 14 requests for microfilming books or documents.
Librarians handle acquisitions, inventory, cataloguing, bibliographic researches (both paper and online), maintain the Web page of the library and edit the online version the Astronomical Observatory and Astronomy Department Bologna Astrophysical Preprints, they collaborate in outreach activity involving Loiano telescopes; they follow professional courses organized by the University of Bologna and other institutions and associations, and train part-time students employed in the library.
The staff included people from the Department of Astronomy: Marina Zuccoli, Chief librarian (Department of Astronomy), Pietro Candelaresi, Assistant librarian (Department of Astronomy), Monica Ferrarini, Assistant librarian (Bologna Astronomical Observatory), Monica Marra, Assistant librarian (Bologna Astronomical Observatory).