Our collections

Our collections are geared towards the SNS's study, teaching and research needs and are mostly organised by subject and on open shelf, a solution much appreciated for the possibility of autonomous exploration of the bibliographical material on offer and the generativity deriving from it for research.

The presence of numerous collections from private sources, coming from scholars and protagonists of Italian and international culture, render our institution a Library of libraries, bearing witness to the cultural panorama and the network of relationships to which the Scuola Normale has over time provided fundamental contributions.

Most of the authors' libraries are placed separately, so as to maintain the originality of the collection; in other cases, the books have been integrated with the relevant collections by subject.

We also conserve a collection of antique books and a collection of rare books (from the XVI, XVII and XVIII centuries).

The journals in paper form, arranged on open shelves in alphabetical order, are divided into two sections, the Humanities (Orologio-Carovana site, on the ground floor and first floor of Palazzo Carovana) and Sciences (the editions of the last two years are available at the Palazzo Canonica site).

The collection of online resources (e-journals, ebooks and databases) is fundamental, in particular for the documental needs of the Faculty of Sciences. To make these resources available, the Library uses a sizeable amount of its budget and puts considerable effort into their selection and management.

The Library hosts a million printed volumes in all, and guarantees access to several million online documents.

Through the catalogue, duly indexed, free-access on line resources can also be retrieved.