Place

Tranquil, silent, elegantly redesigned and renovated in 2006/2007, a perfect blend of the past with the technological demands of contemporary scholarship, the Arthur & Janet C. Ross Library in the McKim building, built above the ancient aqueduct of the emperor Trajan, is a unique state-of-the-art sanctuary for members of the Academy community who seek a measure of uninterrupted time in a comfortable, well-equipped atmosphere charged with the potential of unexpected discovery.

The Library, part of the research network of the Union of Scholarly Libraries in Rome, is open-stack and provides every modern research amenity in a restored and restorative setting eminently suited to independent study and scholarly research. With working space for approximately 90 people, the Library has new reading rooms on the mezzanines and in the basement. The heart of the Library is the Arthur Ross Reading Room, with handsome wooden shelving and furniture designed by McKim, Mead & White. Complementing the Arthur Ross Reading Room are the Linda Bettman Reference Room, the Frank Brown Group Study Room, the Buonanno Folio Reading Room and The Barbara Goldsmith Rare Book Room, designed by Michael Graves, FAAR'62, RAAR'79, dedicated in June 1996.

The Library's wide-ranging catalogue is a treasure trove of invaluable collections in history, archaeology, and the art of Rome and Italy. It includes an extensive photographic archive documenting Rome's many monuments as well as a comprehensive record of the work of past Rome Prize Fellows, and a small but varied teaching collection of antiquities ranging from statues and inscriptions to pottery and millstones. With over 140,000 volumes in Classical studies and the history of art and architecture, the Library is widely respected for its collections in ancient Mediterranean archaeology and art, Greek and Latin literature, ancient topography including the history of the city of Rome, ancient religions, and related fields such as epigraphy, numismatics and papyrology. The rare book collection, chiefly 16th to 18th century imprints in classical studies, archaeology, art, and architecture, includes sizeable collections of Roman guidebooks and early art treatises, and boasts a noteworthy collection in contemporary art and architecture, landscape architecture, Italian history and literature, American literature, historical travel books, and music.

Each year the Library adds about 2000 volumes to its collection and subscribes to approximately 600 current periodicals and scholarly publications in the Academy's core areas of interest. The main users of the Library are Fellows and Residents of the Academy. Reading passes are issued to international scholars, qualified residents of Rome, and visiting artists and scholars. Reading passes are issued to qualified persons who hold a graduate degree and present a letter of introduction but exceptions are made for the use of publications not available elsewhere.

The Academy is a founding member of the Unione Romana Biblioteche Scientifiche (URBS, the Union of Scholarly Libraries in Rome), and contributes to its online catalogue available at www.reteurbs.org. The American Academy in Rome is also a member of the Research Libraries Group (RLG), part of the Online Computer Library Center and its Shares Program. The Library's holdings will be available in Worldcat at www.worldcat.org and will also be part of the Digital Library for International Research. The Library staff consists of the Drue Heinz Librarian, an Assistant Librarian, and four full-time assistants.