Antonio Panizzi Municipal Library

Address and contacts

Via Farini, 3 - 42121 Reggio nell'Emilia
000039 0522 456084
panizzi@comune.re.it
Biblioteca Panizzi
GiraReggio

Opening times

See the opening hours of Panizzi Library.

How to get there

Reggio nell'Emilia - Town centre

Historical notes

The opening of the Library in the Saint George Palace (which was previously the seat of the Jesuits Order) dates back to 1798.
It had been reopened by the Municipality in the middle of the 19th century, after a period of uncertainty, in that time the Municipality decided to be responsible for the management of all the city libraries.
Only at the beginning of the 20th century did the Library assume a modern and ordered arrangement.
In the same period, a new public library was opened. It was called “Library of the People” and aimed to serve the common people, the “working class”.
Although it started with a small number of books, it became immediately popular and attracted lots of students, women, workers and teenagers.
In 1975 the Municipality decided to merge the Municipal Library and the Library of the People into one; this involved bringing together the books from both libraries and creating a system of services to meet the contemporary social needs.
The new unified Institute was named after the famous librarian and patriot, Antonio Panizzi.
Since 1984, when the National Archive and the schools moved from the building, Palazzo San Giorgio has been used entirely by Panizzi Library.
In the same period, starting from the management of loans, the general computerization of the librarian services started.
The library network now includes seven libraries in the town and is one of the best in Italy.
In 2012 it won the national prize "Nati per leggere" (Born to read), and in 2009 the national prize "Città del libro" (Town of the book) in the section dedicated to Kids.

The new Panizzi Library

The Panizzi Library renews its spaces and services. After years of restoration work, two new spaces have been inaugurated at Palazzo San Giorgio, headquarters of the Panizzi Library.
For security reasons due to the period:

• The Sala degli Artisti (Artist Hall), a space suitable for meetings and relations, will be accessible only for recovery and choice of shelf material.
• The Loggia Ferraroni, the renowned Magazine Room, will be closed to the public for security reasons.

Detailed studies

Antonio Panizzi - The librarian who conquered London
“Whirls and Twirls 1” | Invitation to... - Contemporary in the town