History
The Casanatense owes its birth to Cardinal Girolamo Casanate (1620-1700) who, in addition to a bequest of money, entrusted his book collection to the Dominicans of the Convent of S. Maria sopra Minerva in Rome in his will.
Bibliographic Collection
The Library possesses about 400,000 volumes, of which about 60,000 are still contained in the ancient Monumental Hall. Within this library holdings are over 120,000 ancient printed books and more than 6,000 manuscripts.
Museum Collection
The two globes, terrestrial and celestial, the armillary sphere, and other ancient scientific instruments, together with a collection of coins, archaeological finds and sulphur casts, enrich and complete the extensive book sections dedicated to science, numismatics and archaeology.
Catalogues
The Casanatense Library has participated in the SBN Index since 1991. All of its holdings published since that date, and the previous material included in the Index over time are therefore traceable in the OPAC.
Minerva Access
The Casanatense Library adopts the Minerva Access computer system, which is able to quickly and efficiently provide booking, consultation and loan services for the material it holds.
Digital Shelves
Thanks to the subscription to OCLC’s CONTENTdm product it is possible to access the digital collections of the Casanatense Library from any device, in compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
Public Notices
Happens in the Library
Editorials
Hortus… Ablatus. In search of a stolen herbarium
interview with Paolo Francesco MagnantiThe second volume of Liberato Sabbati's Hortus Romanus (Ms. 4460), created in 1770, was stolen on 16 June 2004, during its exhibition at the Vittoriano, on the occasion of the exhibition “Le radici della Nazione”. The theft...
