- The Collection
- Consultation
- Conservation and Cataloguing
- Promotion
- Studies and Research Projects
Image: Giuseppe Ricca Salerno, Scienza delle finanze, Florence, G. Barbèra, 1888 (Economics Library, RARI II E 262; origin: Pietro Sitta), front cover.
The collection includes over 300 volumes published from the beginning of the 19th century until the 1930s, most of which bear the ex-libris of Pietro Sitta (1866-1947), who was the Chancellor of the University of Ferrara for many years, from 1909 to 1938. It was Sitta himself, as Senator of the Kingdom and lecturer of Political Economics at the Law Faculty, who founded the Council of Statistics here, which would later develop into the Economics Faculty. Among the books that Sitta wanted to leave to the library, which acquired them in 1949, it is particularly worth noting the volumes of the Biblioteca dell'Economista (series I-V), published in Turin by Pomba, later UTET, starting in 1850. Also part of this collection are the Scrittori classici italiani di economia politica (Milan, Destefanis, 1803-1816) and a selection of 19th century works of political economics and classics of economic theory, including an example of the classic by Adam Smith, Richesse des nations, published in Paris by Guillaumin in 1859.
As well as the volumes from Sitta's bequest, it is worth mentioning a good number of publications from the fascist period, which were probably part of the first collection of documents in the Library of the Council of Statistics. Indeed, these are titles primarily relating to demographic and economic statistics, including official publications from the Italian State and journals of local interest: an example of this is the Statistical Bulletin of Ferrara, a city that played a role of primary importance in the national political context at the time.
The collection is found in the Economics Library, in Palazzo Bevilacqua-Costabili.
To find out more
The collection is kept at the Economics Library.
The volumes that make up the collection are ineligible for external loans, but it is possible to consult them in the library, upon request, made by telephone (+39 0532 455014), email or through the online catalogue.
Rules for consultation
The collection was part of the transfers carried out in the Economics Library, finally ending up in its current location at Palazzo Bevilacqua-Costabili (2006).
The cataloguing of the collection in the SBN (National Library Service) was carried out from 2014-2018 by university librarians, and also involved a detailed description of the pieces (handwritten notes, notes on ownership and ex-libris, binding, etc.) and the identification of owners and origin.
The volumes are located in the sections RARI, R, S and T of the library where they are kept.
With the Art Bonus, you can support projects for ancient book restoration at the University of Ferrara.
Guided tours
28 October 2018 - Stories of books and palaces. Inauguration of the tour with the opening of the locations. The students from the 4th year of the "A. Roiti" Science-specialist High School in Ferrara, along with representatives from the University Library System and Museum System, guided visitors around the palaces of the university, libraries and historical collections.
Audiovisual
2020 - The historical collections. Economics Library (length: 2 minutes and 9 seconds)
Video in Italian Sign Language (LIS) made thanks to collaboration from the Equal Opportunities and Disability Policy Coordination, the E-Learning and Multimedia Services Office and AIDUS (Association for the Inclusion of Hearing and Deaf People).
To recommend studies or research projects on the collection or pieces from it, please write to biblioteca.economia@unife.it.