ISPF Library

Web site: www.ispf.cnr.it/Istituto/Biblioteca
Catalogue: http://polarcnr.area.ge.cnr.it/cataloghi/ispf_na/
Catalogue Polo NAP: https://opac.bnnonline.it/SebinaOpac/.do

The ISPF Library was originally created from a considerable collection accumulated over thirty years by the Centre for Vico Studies. With the establishment of the Institute for the History of Philosophy and Science in Modern Age in 2001, it was incorporated into the ISPF Library, where it has been constantly enriched by new acquisitions. The Library mainly collects works by Giambattista Vico, including many editiones principes, and texts concerning themes and problems related to Vico’s thought. It has an antiquarian section with about one hundred texts published between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, while the section devoted to contemporary studies collects in particular modern texts on the history of Naples and the south of Italy, especially during the Risorgimento, texts on Italian and foreign literature, ancient, modern and contemporary philosophy, history, philosophy of science, politics, philology, law, psychology, sociology, computer science and digital humanities.

The Library is annexed to the premises of the Institute, in its Neapolitan headquarters, at the Department of Humanities of the University of Naples Federico II, in via Porta di Massa 1, in the monumental complex of San Pietro Martire. The complex was built in 1294 at the behest of King Charles II of Anjou in gratitude for having escaped the captivity in which he had been held by the King of Sicily, Peter of Aragon, and was later donated to the Dominican friars. By the will of Joseph Bonaparte in 1808, the Dominican friars were removed and the convent was suppressed. The building became a tobacco factory for a long time, until 1961, when it was incorporated into the University; after the 1980 earthquake it was restored in the actual form.

Regulations and services offered:

• a book collection of about 6500 volumes divided into:
  • Section A: works by G. B. Vico;
  • Section B: works on G. B. Vico;
  • Section D: works published after 1830;
  • Antiquarian section: works published until 1830;
• consultation on the premises;
• interlibrary loan service, direct and interlibrary loan both nationally and internationally (except for: Vico’s works, reference works, periodicals, rare and valuable works); document delivery through the Inter Library Document Exchange-NILDE Network (https://nilde.bo.cnr.it/);
• internet connection;
• bibliographical advice;
• consultation of a general paper catalogue;
• consultation of a Neapolitan Vico catalogue of works by and about G.Vico existing in the major Neapolitan libraries in alphabetical and chronological order;
• consultation of databases on cd-rom (Vico on cd-rom series);
• consultation of on-line databases: the electronic journal “Laboratorio dell’ISPF” (ISPF-LAB) and the “Portale Vico”;
• consultation of the publications of the “Bollettino del Centro di Studi Vichiani”;
• consultation of the publications of the editorial series: “Studi Vichiani”, “Filosofia e Scienza in età moderna”, “Filosofia e Saperi” and “Cultura Meridionale”;
• consultation of the critical editions of Giambattista Vico’s works;
• membership of the OPAC Geca-Polar of C.N.R. managed by SDS-CNR of Genoa (http://polarcnr.area.ge.cnr.it/cataloghi/ispf_na/)
• membership of the national library service PoloNap SBN

In order to enhance the value of its collections and to make its documents accessible to an increasing number of users, the Library has launched several digitisation projects, the results of which, together with the relevant digitized documents, can be viewed on the Institute’s website.