Prior to the fire, the library received around 800 volumes annually, but in the years immediately following the fire, donations surged dramatically to over 19,000 and 16,000 volumes in 1904 and 1905 respectively. This outpouring of support was remarkable, reflecting a global sentiment of love and solidarity towards the National Library during a challenging time.
In August 2020, the National University Library initiated a project to uncover and exhibit the treasures housed in its vaults, contained within 1046 perforated boxes. This effort led to the retrieval of about 17,000 volumes and 11,000 booklets, including many ancient works of substantial cultural significance. With a total length of 556 linear meters, the collection mainly comprises donations received by the Library following the 1904 fire.
The relocation of this material to new facilities marked the beginning of an extensive project dedicated to conservation, protection, and valorisation. Every item underwent dusting, and the most delicate pieces were meticulously placed in specialized conservation folders. Volumes were inventoried, catalogued, and examined in collaboration with university institutions. Furthermore, a dedicated exhibition was curated, and a portal was launched to facilitate virtual exploration of the books, promoting broad and interdisciplinary access.
Furthermore, training seminars were conducted in collaboration with the University of Turin (Degree Course in Library and Archive Science) and the Department of Italian Studies at the University of Brno, aimed at engaging young scholars and raising awareness about the project.
After two years of dedicated efforts, including the complete inventory and cataloging of thousands of resources within the National Library System, the origins of the volumes preserved in the 1046 perforated boxes were identified through meticulous analysis of stamps, possession notes, and historical documents, and can be schematized as follows:
- volumes belonging to the Library’s heritage before the 1904 fire and housed in the building in via Po (of which part of the topographical inventory has been found), complete with shelfmarks and, in some cases, even an inventory number;
- volumes belonging to the Library’s heritage before 1904, pertaining to specific groups of provenances (such as those donated by Dr. Giacinto Pacchiotti and those received with the suppression of various ecclesiastical bodies), never catalogued, inventoried, or stamped;
- volumes donated following the 1904 fire;
- volumes donated in the decades following the 1904 fire and not related to the catastrophic event;
- volumes lacking definite indications of origin.