I servizi bibliotecari del Politecnico di Milano (1863-2020)

Abstract

The article reconstructs from an historical point of view the evolution of library services within a scientific-technical university such as the Polytechnic of Milan, from 1863, the year of its birth, to the present day. The birth of the Central Engineering Library, the consultation and loan services provided since the dawn of the institution and the creation of the first bibliographic catalogs will be described. The article will also study in depth the problems of managing a library of national importance in particularly difficult periods of Italian history (Second World War, 1968 student protests) and the solutions implemented by the Directorate of the University to meet the needs of an ever increasing number of students and the transformation of the Polytechnic from an elitist place to a mass university. In the last part, I will outline the evolution of a constantly expanding university (birth of the regional poles, Bovisa project) and the birth of decentralized libraries with respect to the historical site, finally studying the offer of library services of the present time in an era characterized by the race for technology.