THE LIBRARY
The Public Library "Giuseppe del Viscio" of Vico del Gargano was established as a municipal building in 1970, with an initial collection of books of about 500 volumes. The growth in the years was abundant thanks to the donation of countryman Francesco Delli Muti of a special fund of about 1,500 documents, to which they went to flank the donation by the banking institutions and private. The library totals 13,500 cataloged books of which 2,750 ancient books, 7,250 modern books classified with the Dewey and 3,500 books for children classified with the CELBIV system (Cooperativa Editrice Libraria between Venetian libraries), a symbolic classification that groups the books by genre differentiated by a coloured symbol.
The Library contains books and manuscripts of what has long been one of the most important ecclesiastical libraries of the Arcangelo Province and the entire Puglia: that of the Convent of the Padri Cappuccini. In this place he lived and worked Father Michelangelo Manicone (Vico del Gargano, March 4, 1745 - Ischitella, April 18, 1810), Italian naturalist and philosopher, author of "La Fisica Appula", a work of five volumes, in which he analyses the physical characteristics of the land of Apulia and especially of Gargano.
The Library is a unique container, irreplaceable for the study and knowledge of the history and southern culture in the modern era. It collects, in fact, about 4,000 bibliographic units, including manuscripts, cinquecentine, editions of the '600 and mainly editions of the' 700 and '800.
Since 1980, with the establishment of the Social Management Committee, the objectives of the Public Library of Vico del Gargano have been further specified as a cultural institution at the service of the civil population growth.
The Library has an extensive heritage, which includes volumes on open shelves, storage volumes, videotapes, magazines, newspapers. Focus is on the interlibrary loan with other libraries in the province. It features lots of reading points, computer stations and conference room.
Activities
- Free consultation of the Library material
- Loan of books, videos, DVDs and CDs
- Refresher courses on illustration themes and narrative
- Meetings with authors, readings, workshops and exhibitions
- Guided tours for schools
- Various routes: animated readings, book presentations, orientation and guide to the use of the library itself.
The Municipal Library, therefore, is not only directed at an audience of scholars; since the 70's has become, in effect, a service open to the whole community, with useful books to suit different needs and more varied curiosity, including the ones of the youngest.
The library is organised on four levels:
Semi basement storage, media library with a projection room, television room, both shared with the museum, the museum entrance, two exhibition halls.
Ground floor Reference, Newspaper Library, Archaeological Museum, study room Santa Monica, Info Point, Back Office, Internet Point (S. Valentine Hall) with five workstations.
First floor Children Library, Fiction Hall, Disclosure Room and Art Gallery
Second floor ancient library "Library Manicone" (sixteenth, seventeenth-century, etc.) and Modern Library.
The needs are many: from reading newspapers and magazines, local and inter-library loans, a meeting place.
The flagship of the Library, the collection or the volume that embellishes are certainly the 4,000 bibliographic units of the Ancient Library, embellished by the volume: AMBROSII CALEPINI DICTIONARII OCTOLINGVIS ALTERA PARS, M. DC. LXIII CUM PRIVILEGIO REGIS of great historical and cultural significance.