Gambalunga Library, over 130,000 accesses in one year and 69,000 books borrowed, 80 events and 7,866 loans of volumes received by cargo bike
Time to finalize the year just ended for the Gambalunga Library. If that weren’t enough, the acknowledgment that also for the two-year period 2022-2023 the Center for Books and Reading of the Ministry of Culture has confirmed to the Municipality of Rimini for the effectiveness of its policies to support reading as a practice of well-being for the lives of people and communities, this is confirmed by the data recorded in 2022 by the Gambalunga Library, released in these hours as a final balance of the annual activity. In the past year, the Gambalunga Library welcomed over 130,000 people (+116% compared to 2021, but still lower than the pre-Covid figure). 68,900 books were lent out (+32% compared to 2021). For ranking enthusiasts, Valérie Perrin’s “Tre” is the most loaned book of the year, followed by the saga of “The Lions of Sicily” by Stefania Auci and Ilaria Tuti’s “Daughter of Ashes”. The favorite readings of teenagers who stocked up in Sala Holden were “Animal Farm” by George Orwell and “The Children’s Train” by Viola Ardone, in third place “How Good Girls Kill” by Holly Jackson. At the Children’s Library the three most requested books were: “I am leaf” by Angelo Mozzillo and the talented Rimini illustrator Marianna Balducci (Bacchilega Junior 2020), “Il quarrel” by Claude Boujon (Babalibri 2009) and, on equal merit, “The colors of emotions” by Anna Llenas (Gribaudo 2014) and “A jar of stars” by Deborah Marcero (Terre di Mezzo 2020). 80 events were dedicated to reading, books and knowledge of contemporary culture, including reading workshops, presentations with authors, conferences, exhibitions and concerts, attended by a total of over ten thousand spectators. The immersive video projection “Rimini, cos’è” offered to New Year’s visitors, the exhibition of the Rimini photographer Italo Di Fabio, the conferences from the thirteenth edition of “Biblioterapia” were the most popular events. All the initiatives aimed at children and young people and the guided tours of the historic rooms were sold out, which did not fail to arouse wonder in the more than two thousand visitors who passed through them during the year. A confirmation of the vitality of the dual soul of this historic institution, a place of contemporary culture and a symbol of the city’s identity, a place for meetings and creativity, a place for research and experimentation with new narratives and new creative uses of the significant historical cultural heritage of the community. Taking care of the historical collections, attracting the interest of researchers (there were over 4,400 documents, manuscripts, historical periodicals, ancient books, photographs given for consultation in 2022), but also telling and offering unpublished contents to the history of the city through stories of the Library, as was done through the social column “La Gambalunga tells”. The use of web and social platforms to reach different audiences and make Rimini and Gambalunga known to web surfers is rewarded by a Facebook page coverage figure of 158,807 people reached, while 146,331 page views on the website. For an institution that looks to the future, the relationship with the school and the university is strategic, which after the limitations of the pandemic period, resumes and becomes even stronger thanks to the adhesion of many schools to the Reading Pact. From October to today, more than 800 high school students and over 600 primary school students have taken part in the meetings dedicated to them. The “Books in cargo bike” initiative to bring library books directly to school continued successfully: no less than 7,866 volumes traveled by cargo bike to 164 nursery, elementary, middle and high school classes. The collaboration with the University of Bologna is also strengthened, with common projects and research but also with synergies and sharing of services, so much so that Gambalunga was chosen at the beginning of the new academic year as the location for the freshman party. Through interlibrary loan and Document Delivery, 1,334 requests arrived and left from Rimini to the national and international community of scholars and researchers. 122,371 is instead the total number of requests for information managed via email, telephone and face-to-face. 5,422 new books have entered the library, 972 of which for the children’s library, also purchased with the important support of the Maggioli Group, patron of the Gambalunga through Art Bonus, and with funds made available by the Ministry of Culture. There are now 345,000 volumes kept by the Library available for study and reading. Finally, the resolutions for the new year. An experimental project of free interlibrary loan is starting these days between eight of the main libraries in Romagna (Gambalunga, Malatestiana, Classense, Manfrediana, Trisi, Oriani and the municipal ones of Cesenatico and Cervia) to provide readers of their territories free of charge with the books available in their collections, using internal mobility resources to reduce postal reimbursement costs and increase the circulation of books and reading opportunities, especially in favor of the most economically fragile segments of the public. The activity around the Pact for reading will continue, initiating the exchange of ideas and projects between the 46 subjects (bookstores, libraries, associations, authors, publishers) who joined the Municipal Pact for reading between July and December 2022 with the objective of making reading a widespread social practice, promoting the pleasure of reading and stimulating the development of people’s critical thinking. Finally, on the strength of its centuries-old history which makes it the main repository of sources for the city’s history, the Gambalunga Library will continue to strengthen its role as a depositary institution of the values and symbols of the historical-cultural identity of the community, promoting knowledge of the history and traditions of Rimini among the new and old citizens, but also opening up to materials and archives of cultural productions closest to the contemporary.
CS Municipality of Rimini