Library
About the Library
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Hours
A good working collection in the history of art and architecture, especially the Renaissance. Small but noteworthy collections include contemporary art and architecture, landscape architecture, Italian history and literature, American literature, historical travel books, and music.
There is a rare book collection made up of chiefly 16th-18th century imprints in classics, classical archaeology, Italian art and architecture, including sizeable collections of Roman guidebooks and early art treatises.
The Library acquires ca. 2,000 volumes per year. It subscribes to ca. 600 current periodicals. Gifts are welcome in the core areas of collecting (classical studies, Italian art and architecture), especially the publications of our Fellows and readers. See also "Other Collections."
000-099 Reference Works (Ground Floor, Linda Bettman Reference Room, Balcony, 080-081 and Frank Brown Room, Upper First Floor, 081-099)
020 Dictionaries
030 Encyclopedias
040 Guide Books (now in the microform room in the basement)
050 Geography
060 Directories
070 Bibliography
080 Collected Essays and Festschriften
100-199 Classical Philology (Arthur Ross Reading Room and Lower Mezzanine, 150-199)
100 Dictionaries of Classical Antiquity and Prosopography
110 Literature, Classical
112, 113 Greek
114, 115 Latin
116, 117 Byzantine
120 Epigraphy (Greek, Latin, Etruscan, Italic)
130 Papyri
140 Paleography (general treatises, catalogs, collections, manuscripts)
150 Linguistics (Metrics)
160 History of Literature, Classical
170 History of Classical Scholarship
176 Books by and about the AAR
200-299 Ancient History and Classical Antiquities (Lower Mezzanine)
200 History of Antiquity
210 Prehistory (Aegean, Italy)
240 Greek History (Archaic, 5th and 4th centuries BCE, Hellenistic, under Roman rule, special sites, colonies)
250 Roman History (beginnings, Republic, Empire)
259 Roman Provinces
260 Late Antiquity
270 Biography, Classical
280 Chronology
290 Antiquities (political institutions, law, military, private life, culture and education, sports, costume, weights and measures)
300-399 Religion (Lower Mezzanine)
310 Non-Christian (Near East, Egypt, Semitic, Greek, Etruscan, Roman)
340 Ancient Philosophy
350 Christianity (Bible eds., concordances, commentaries)
355 Life of Jesus
355.2 Life of Mary
360 Patristics, Greek and Latin
370 History of the Church (sects, monastic orders)
377 Saints
380 Early Christian Art
387 Early Christian Monuments and Topography
400-499 Ancient Topography (Lower Mezzanine)
400 Ancient Topography (maps, travel, East Asia, India)
410 Egypt (religion, manners and customs, epigraphy, architecture, sculpture)
420 Near East (Mesopotamia, Babylonia and Chaldea, Assyria, Persia, Phoenicia,
Syria and Palestine, Arabia)
430 Asia Minor (Hittites, Propontis and Euxine, Greek islands, Crete, Cyprus)
440 Greece, general (northern Greece, Attica, Athens, Peloponnese)
450 Thrace (Macedonia, Illyria)
460 Italy (Etruria, Latium and beyond)
460.8 Cities in Italy except for Etruria and Latium
462 Etruria
465 Latium
470 Rome (Guide Books, Monuments)
470.06 Dictionaries and Works of Reference
475 Fora
476 Palatine
477 Aqueducts
478 Other Monuments
480 Roman provinces (islands of Italy, Danubian countries and Dalmatia, Germany, Gaul, Britain, Spain, Africa)
500-599 Art and Archaeology, Classical Antiquity (Lower Mezzanine and Basement, 558-)
500 Classical Art and Archaeology (Sources, Methodology, Aesthetics, Essays, Catalogs of Collections)
510 History of Classical Art, general
512 Greek
513 Etruscan
514 Roman
520 Classical Architecture
522 Greek
523 Etruscan
524 Roman
530 Classical Sculpture
532 Greek
533 Etruscan
534 Roman
550 Classical Painting
560 Minor Arts (bronzes, terracottas, jewelry, glass)
568 Numismatics
600-699 Medieval and Modern Literature (Basement)
605 Persian
608 Modern Greek
610 Medieval and Humanistic Latin
620 Italian
630 French
640 German
650 Russian
660 Indian and East Asian languages
670 Spanish
680 English, etc.
690 History of Literature, Medieval and Modern
700-799 Medieval and Modern History (Basement)
706.2 Medieval and Modern Church History in Italy
710 History, Asia (NB: Asiatic and African History is placed under the divisions of Topography)
710.2 Byzantium
710.3 Medieval and Modern Greece
720 Medieval and Modern Italy
722 Medieval Italy
723 Renaissance Italy
724 Modern Italy
730 France
740 Germany
750 Russia
760 Holland
765 Belgium
770 Spain
775 Portugal
780 Great Britain, etc.
790 America, general (North, Central, South, West Indies)
793 The United States
800-899 Fine Arts, Medieval and Modern (Basement)
808 Topography and Travel
(NB: 808.6 History of Rome, Medieval and Modern is placed here instead of in the 700s in order to keep the entire treatment of Medieval and Modern Rome together)
808.6-808.62 City of Rome
810 Fine Arts (Italian, French, Flemish, Dutch, German, Spanish, English)
812 Byzantine
813 Medieval
814 Renaissance and Baroque
815 Modern
820 Architecture, general
822 Medieval
824 Renaissance and Baroque
826 Modern
829 Landscape Architecture
830 Sculpture
833 Medieval
834 Renaissance and Baroque
836 Modern
840 Bronzes
850 Painting
860 Minor Arts, general (woodwork, pottery and porcelain, silver work, gems, jewelry, textiles, medallions, coins, iron works)
900-999 Miscellaneous (Basement)
910 Modern Philosophy
920 Sociology (law, political economy, administration, education)
924.7 Military Science
930 Philology
940 Natural Sciences
945 Zoology
950 Technology (cook books, fashion)
959 Photography
970 Dance
971 Film
NB: An exception is Music, which is classed according to the Library of Congress Classification System in M (Upper Second Floor)
Journals post-1950 are located on the compact shelves in the Basement and most (though not all) journals pre-1950 are in storage. Please fill out the request form at the Library Front Desk before 11:30 a.m. M-F if you need to consult a journal volume in storage. NB: There are several older journal issues available online and some are in the stacks in the Library proper. Please check the Library’s catalog.
Folios 200-999 (100s are located in the Arthur Ross Reading Room) and elephant folios 000-999 are located in the Basement as is a book scanner.
Requesting Storage Items
American Academy items found in the catalog with the collection designation STORAGE may be requested at the Library's Front Desk. One trip (11:30 am) is made daily to retrieve these items. A maximum of one item may be requested per day. If you accompany the staff person to storage, you may consult more than one title. NB: Please check the online catalog carefully, also for print sources now available online.
Requesting In-Process Items
In-process items are easily identifiable. Instead of a call number they have only an accession number (e.g., 127989) and no collection information. These items may be requested at the Library's Front Desk. Titles that are on order will display in the catalog with the date of the order indicated. Should an item have no information attached to it, please contact the Front Desk.
Requesting Rare Books
American Academy items found in the catalog with the collection designation RARE BOOKS may be requested by filling out a form in the Linda Bettman Reference Room and dropping it in the request box there before 2 p.m. M-F. Following the request, the Barbara Goldsmith Rare Book Room will be opened from 2:30-4:30 p.m. that same day for consultation.
Scanning and Digital Photography
A self-service book scanner is available in the Library. Scans may be saved to a pen drive (USB key) or sent to an e-mail account. Readers are asked to use the self-service scanner or a digital camera. Photocopying materials published prior to 1900 is prohibited. Readers who are found mishandling books will have their library privileges restricted or withdrawn. It is the responsibility of the user to make sure that copyright laws are not infringed.
Scanning cards may be purchased in the following denominations:
5 € = 25 scans
10 € = 60 scans
For photography a copy stand and light are available in the Library (for analog cameras Tungsten film is required with the use of the lighting). No fee is requested for the use of the copy stand nor is there a fee required if the images are strictly for study purposes. Digital cameras are permitted in the library.
Professional Photography Services
Fees are charged for assisted photography (e.g., of rare books) and for the publication of reproductions. Professional photography services are available at the following fee schedule:
b/w print 13x18 dimension: 25 €
5 b/w print 13x18 dimension: 45 €
10 b/w print 13x18 dimension: 88 €
35 mm slides: 26 €
5 35 mm slides: 45 €
Rare books handling: 11 €
Postage & packing: 5 €
Reproductions for Academic or Commercial Use
Reproduction fee for academic use: 6,20 € per image
Reproduction fee for commercial use: 36,00 € per image
Please contact the Library's Front Desk for more information (06-5846419).
Assigned Carrels and Shelves
Assigned carrels are reserved for: affiliated fellows without studies or studios at the Academy (e.g., Mellon-East Central Visiting Scholars); partners of fellows who are also scholars or writers; and selected outside readers who use the collection intensively (reserving up to 20 books at a time). All other readers who wish to reserve up to 5 books at a time may do so on the book shelves in the catalog area. Course reserves and reserved shelves for special projects or group study are located in the Frank Brown Study Room. Reading tables will be kept clear.
Computing
All tables and desks in the Library are wired for Internet access. Users must supply their own cables. Some areas of the library are already wi-fi accessible. Please restrict Internet use to scholarly endeavors only. Pen drives may be used to download data; no printers are available.
In-House Circulation
Fellows, Residents, and other members of the AAR community are allowed to sign out books to their rooms, studios or studies, with the understanding that these books can be recalled for another reader. Recalled items must be returned within three days. If a user leaves Rome for more than three days, she or he must return the borrowed item(s) before leaving. Reference books marked with a special sticker do not circulate.
Interlibrary Loan
Fellows and other members of the AAR community are encouraged to use other libraries in Rome for materials not found in our Library. Interlibrary loan services for materials not found in Rome are available to members of the AAR community only; outside readers are asked to use the interlibrary services of the Biblioteca Nazionale. As we do not lend books ourselves, we generally request articles or parts of books in the form of photocopies or digital documents.
ACCESS TO OUTSIDE READERS
The general qualification is an advanced degree (master's or doctorate) or laurea magistrale in the humanities. All prospective readers must complete a Library Access Form (see below) and submit a letter of introduction from their home institution (or from another reader or authoritative person in the case of unaffiliated individuals) detailing academic background and current research project. The letter can be submitted via e-mail, regular mail or fax. IMPORTANT: Upon submitting your written request, you must wait for a response from us before showing up at the Gate.
Students in their fifth year (il secondo livello) who are working on a thesis, may ask to consult up to five items uniquely held by the AAR. These readers should contact the Library in advance in order to schedule an appointment. E-mail: librarymail@aarome.org or tel.: 06-5846419 or 06-5846418. Prior to the arrival of the reader, the library staff will pull the requested items and have them ready in time for the appointment.
We accept new and renewing readers Mon-Fri 9:30-12:00 and in the afternoons by appointment. Applicants who have been approved for a library card, but have not come to the library to collect it within three months, will have to re-apply. Any reader who has been absent for 5 years or more (except a returning Fellow of the AAR) will be treated as a new reader and must bring a new letter of introduction.
One-year cards
A qualified outside reader who is resident in Rome or plans to be here for several months may be issued a one-year reader's card with a photo ID (tessera). The one-year card is renewable also within the Mon-Fri 9:30-12:00 schedule if there are no problems.
Short-term cards
Short-term cards, without photos, will be issued for persons who use the Library for a shorter period of time, up to three months.
Special provisions for the summer: As the Library becomes very crowded in June and July, and the quality of service suffers, we issue only short-term cards from May-July, unless the reader has written to us earlier to request a regular reader's card.
Use of specific materials
A reader may be referred by another URBS library (with the appropriate form) for a specific title or volume.
ACCESS TO THE AAR COMMUNITY
Any member of the residential community (Fellows, Residents, VA/VS, and professional staff in residence) may have 24-hour access to the Library, via his/her normal key-card. This access will be granted only after an orientation to the Library. The 24-hour access can be withdrawn if the user does not return a borrowed library item within two days of a recall. The access will be restored upon the return of the item(s). Temporary guests may be admitted to the Library on a case-by-case basis, but will not normally get 24-hour access.
Because of the Academy's long-standing relationship with the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies, ICCS students will be issued short-term cards.
Summer courses
Individual readers' cards are issued to all summer course participants. After hour access is provided to the NEH participants, who use the Library intensively. Names of Summer School and Pottery participants are on a list to pick up a key at the Gate. 10 keys are provided for this purpose.
LIBRARY CODE OF CONDUCT
Rules of the American Academy in Rome and its Library.
The American Academy in Rome and its Library is a private institution. Our rules must be respected. If a reader of the Library does not adhere to these rules, Library access may be discontinued.
The Library operates on the honor system. If we are to continue the practice of open shelves (unlike virtually all Italian libraries), these minimal security measures are critical. It may become necessary to discontinue public access to our books and scanners altogether if readers are found to handle books carelessly.
-Do not bring food and drink into the Library. They can cause permanent damage to the books.
-Do not bring bags into the Library. Only small purses and laptops are allowed. Lockers are provided to the left of the reception area.
-Coats and jackets may not be brought into the Library. There are hangers to the left of the reception area.
-Mobile phones may not be used in the Library.
-When a book is being used, a grey cardboard phantom/dummy must always be filled out with title/author, call no., the reader’s name and desk number and put in place of the book on the shelf.
-The books used must be returned to the designated tables/desks in the staircase area of each floor.
Patrons have access to a self-service book scanner. Please take care when scanning or taking digital photographs of the Library’s books. We ask that patrons refrain from photocopying the books because of the damage it causes.
If the Library seems cold it is because the AAR has one general heating system and the hours the heat is on reflect the needs of the residents of the building. Be sure to dress warmly during the winter.
BOOK ACCEPTANCE POLICY
The Library welcomes the gift of books in its areas of collecting – Classical Studies, the Italian Middle Ages and Renaissance -- especially Art and Architecture, but also Political, Social and Intellectual History -- Italian Language and Literature (highly selectively), Contemporary Art Theory (highly selectively), and Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque Music (highly selectively) -- whether single volumes or entire collections.
Lists of titles of particular interest are continually updated in our lists of Desiderata.
Donors should check with the Library (e-mail: librarymail@aarome.org(librarymail@aarome.org) or tel. +39-06-5846419) before making a donation and include a list of the books donated. It is preferred that the donor first check the Library Catalog to find out if it is already in the collection and avoid duplication. Library Catalog.
The Library provides a letter of receipt and in each book donated a book plate which carries the donor’s or other designated name; however, the Library does not estimate the value of the book(s).
The cost of cataloging varies, depending on the rarity of the volumes. We are most grateful if donors are able to cover the costs of cataloging and/or shipping.
In the case of large collections, the Library will make every effort to keep all donated works, but it reserves the right not to accession individual books determined to be less relevant to the collections. Proceeds of the sale of such volumes will be used to benefit the collections.
Books will be integrated into existing classifications rather than kept together as a group.
Access Form
Library Guides and Histories
The library welcomes gifts to the collection. For more information on donating books to the Library, see our Book Acceptance Policy under Rules and Policies.
Comprehensive coverage means most scholarly primary and secondary source materials as well as reference literature. Most formats/materials are of interest: monographs, microform, serials, series, conference proceedings, Festschriften, collected essays, electronic databases, e-journals, and e-books.
Selective coverage means all important, major titles. Most formats/materials are of interest: monographs, microform, serials, series, conference proceedings, Festschriften, collected essays, electronic databases, e-journals and e-books.
Lists of lacunae of particular interest are continually updated. See our Desiderata Lists below for more information.
GENERAL GOALS
Maintain a comprehensive, in-depth collection in Classical Studies and Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque Art and Architecture in Italy.
Maintain a working collection in a few other fields.
Italian Literature and History, especially dealing with Rome during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Specific fields:
Classical Studies
Comprehensive coverage:
Greek and Latin philology (language and literature)
Greek, Etruscan, Italic, and Roman archaeology
Greek, Etruscan, Italic, Roman art and architecture
Topography of the ancient world
Ancient history (Greece, Roman Empire)
Ancient philosophy (Greek and Roman)
Ancient religion and mythology (including Greek, Etruscan, Roman, early Christianity)
Greek, Latin, Etruscan, Italic epigraphy
Greek and Latin palaeography
Greek and Latin papyrology
Greek and Roman numismatics
Selective coverage:
Prehistoric archaeology -- the Aegean, Near East, Egypt, Anatolia (exception: comprehensive coverage for pre-Roman Italic areas).
Medieval to Modern Art and Architecture:
Comprehensive coverage:
Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque art and architecture.
Selective coverage:
Post-Baroque art and architecture (includes landscape architecture and urban design). Rome is covered better than other Italian cities. Artists working in Rome after 1700 are covered selectively.
Medieval to Modern History:
Selective coverage:
Emphasis on Rome and Italy, especially Italian medieval and Renaissance history, and the history of papal Rome and the Curia (Curial intellectuals, bureaucrats, and families). History of religious institutions and patronage. History of humanism and the classical tradition. History of science, the Inquisition.
Medieval to Modern Literature and Philosophy:
Selective coverage:
Medieval and Humanistic Latin (patristics, humanism). Medieval palaeography, manuscript studies.
American Literature:
Highly selective past coverage (no current collecting):
Core collection of historical classics (Jerome gift, Library of America collection).
Fellows' writings: sought as gifts.
Music:
Highly selective coverage: Medieval and Byzantine music
Historical collection from three sources:
Gifts (chiefly scores, including Fellows’ works)
Strunk collection of music history, with a special emphasis on Byzantine music
American scores (USIS gift and Fellows’ works)
