Distribution of closed shelf material

Closed-shelf collections are identified in the SEARCH catalogue by an appropriate note in the Location information, which appears before the Call Number, as in the following examples: 

For archive material, which is not searchable through SEARCH, see Manuscripts and documents from the archives.

Request method

Requests for consulting the closed shelf material must be sent directly via SEARCH, by first authenticating and then filling in the form that opens from the link Prenotazione libri in prestito, a scaffale chiuso o tra sedi (Reservation of books on loan, closed shelf or between sites) in the section Get it of the complete visualisation of the record.

For all other details, see the guide Reservation of a document: user's guide.

The closed shelf material can be reserved only if there are no other open shelf copies available. However, if you need to consult a specific closed shelf copy, you can enquire at the first-access desk.

The materials placed in the book storage (identified in the catalogue by the wording Magazzino) are retrieved twice a week, usually in the morning of Tuesday and Thursday; generally, requests received by 8.00 am of the days of collection will be processed.

Pickup of materials

When the requested item is ready for pickup, you will receive an availability notification by email. You can then pickup the requested material at the appropriate first-access desk: the Orologio–Carovana location for closed-stack materials in Classics and Archaeology, as well as for items from the Luporini–Gallinaro Library [shelfmark suffix BLG] and the Donato Library [suffix BMD]; the Capitano location for all other materials.

Pending the first collection, the material will remain on the reservations shelf for 6 days, after which it will be put back on the shelf.
If you cannot come to the Library within this time frame, you can request an extension of the expiry date of the material requested by writing to prestitobib@sns.it.

Local and reading room loans

All closed shelf materials can be consulted at the relevant location, in the designated reading rooms, through the Reading room loan. The loan period varies depending on the type of material.

Rari e Antichi and Magazzino Rari collections may be consulted solely on loan in the reading room, whereas other closed shelf collections may also be taken out by users having the right to a local loan on the basis of the single copy policy.

Manuscripts and documents from the archives

Access to manuscripts and documents from the archives (both on paper and digitalised) must be expressly authorised by the Head Librarian or by a delegate. Hence a request for access (domanda di accesso) must be submitted to the Head Librarian, signed in the original, containing the applicant's personal details, together with the subject and the purpose of the research that is to be carried out.
Requests by university students must be accompanied by a letter of introduction from the lecturer who is in charge of the research project.

Once obtained, the authorisation is valid for the entire duration of the research project; each time the user must complete the request for consultation (richiesta di consultazione) indicating the materials required.

For consultation of archives declared as being of historic interest, authorisation must be applied for at the Soprintendenza Archivistica per la Toscana.

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