BiASA
Biblioteca di Archeologia e Storia dell’Arte
(Library of Archeology and Art History)

Piazza Venezia 3, Rome
Tel (06) 6789965, or (06) 6797739
Fax (06) 6781167

 

Collections and Services

BiASA is perhaps the richest library in Rome for Archaeology and Art History studies. Officially established in 1922, it originated from donations accumulated since 1876. Its collections (about 600,000 volumes, 3,500 periodicals and a collection of 19,000 photographs, engravings, and drawings) are mainly related to Italy and Rome. Most are written in Italian, but English and other languages are also well represented.

Although it will prove rewarding, the first attempts to use the Library might be discouraging: catalog searches are quite complex and subject catalogs are in Italian. In addition, information on using the library is provided by Library assistants who may not speak fluent English. For these reasons, we strongly recommend that you bring along our booklet, A Student's Short Guide to BiASA, and that you prepare a bibliography in advance.

JCU librarians are available to accompany small groups (up to 6 people).

 

On-line Catalogs

Current acquisitions, since 1998, are searchable through the Central National Library of Rome OPAC .

Older collections can be found in the pages for the Historical catalogs in the Italian Digital Library website.

 

Hours

Visiting Hours:
Monday-Friday: 8:30 -19:30
Saturday: 9:30 -13:30

Distribution hours:
Monday-Friday: 9:30-13:30, 14:00-18:00
Saturday: 9:30-13:00

Sala Barbo (where materials regarding the city of Rome are contained) and Sala Periodici (where periodicals are accessible) are closed at lunch time (13.30-14.30) from Monday through Friday.

The library is closed during following periods:
The week following Easter
The month of August
From December 24th to December 31st

 

Access

Users must be over the age of 18 and must provide a document of identification (passport or permesso di soggiorno) with a photo. The receptionists will then hand the user a key to a locker where all users are required to leave their book bags.

 

Photocopies

Photocopies may be requested from 11:00 - 13:00 from Monday through Saturday and from 15:00 - 17:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Materials older than 50 years of age may not be photocopied. It is important to know that it usually takes a week or so to receive a requested photo.