Una vicenda che viene da lontano

Abstract

Cooperation between public libraries in Italy starts in the Seventies with the constitution of partnerships between libraries based in different towns. It had a fast development, mostly in northern regions of Italy and especially in Lombardy. The author underlines the limits these systems had for a long time: too little territorial width to obtain economies of scale, a lack of a well-defined legal structure, a scarceness of services. The article focuses then on the role of CSBNO, a consortium of 60 libraries which in the last years has been making a valid effort to overcome these limits and to open new opportunities.