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The Reform of Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism (L.171/2014) has resulted in the restructuring of the Ministry and its organization, redefining the relations between the central and peripheral bodies and external stakeholders. The study is focused on the reform process that involves the Italian state museums highlighting the changes that led to a strengthening of the process of decentralization, streamlining tasks, and granting autonomy. The study begins with an analysis of the evolutionary path of public reforms in the museum sector and analyzes the law texts related to the Italian state museums through the network governance perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent survey carried on the historic complex of Santa Maria del Carrobiolo in Monza (Italy) highlighted that the two sides of the bell-tower are directly supported by the load-bearing walls of the apse and South aisle of the neighboring church. After the discovery of the weak structural arrangement of the building, static and dynamic monitoring systems were installed in the tower to address its preservation. After a brief description of the tower and the results of the preliminary survey, the paper presents selected results of the continuous dynamic monitoring as well as the evidences provided by the static monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a national project of the Directorate General for Archives at the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, and the Italian National Association of Archives (ANAI) that generated the Twentieth-Century Fashion Archives web site. The Website is developed under the framework of the SAN, Italy’s National Archives System, to identify a unexplored sources of the archival, bibliographical, iconographic and audiovisual heritage pertaining to Italian fashion.

During the 80s the Italian debate on specialized libraries- nowadays gone out of fashion - was strongly influenced by American studies, and tackled subtle theoretical subjects as well as cultural and professional policy issues. Actually, the problem of libraries' specialization was a main topic in the parliamentary agenda right after Italian Unification. Personalities such as Ruggero Bonghi, Ferdinando Martini and Guido Baccelli were culturally and politically opponents on this theme, but none of them was able to devise an organic national library system in which each institution would have a well defined role. In the 20s, the issue of specialized libraries came once again to the fore thanks to a new conception of education, to the increasing specialization, and to a stronger attention to contemporary history and culture. The three specialized libraries belonging to the administration of State public libraries - i.e. the Library of Archaeology and History of Art, the Library of Modern and Contemporary History and the Medical Library - were institutionalized in those years, and in the course of time they succeeded in keeping pace with the scholars' changing needs by developing new tools and creating new services. Despite the shortage of financial and human resources of the last decades, the specialized libraries of the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities have pursued - and will need to pursue more and more in the future - a cultural policy aimed at the creation of original databases, at the multiplication of public access to digital resources in specific disciplines or subject fields, and at the cooperation with universities and other research institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The libraries affiliated to the Ministry for cultural heritage and activities are an uncommonly heterogeneous set. However, within their territory and cities they serve a number of functions similar to those performed by civic and municipal libraries (i.e. the public libraries as defined in the ISO 2789 standard). The article identifies a series of statistical data and service indicators useful for determining which libraries, within this group, are actually performing those tasks. The variability of these data and indicators depends on historical and geographical factors, as well as institutional ones. A few libraries that best match the profile of the public library are identified, and for each one is provided a brief ID gathered from existing literature as well as from evidence provided by directors in charge, describing their history and services. Thus, it is highlighted the relevance of the libraries located in medium and small-sized urban centres, bringing out the common features that enable the Mibac's libraries to serve specific functions closely related to their territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preservation of historic buildings is a demanding task, especially in seismic zones, where vulnerable constructions can suffer severe damages and losses. The last earthquake that struck the Abruzzo region in Italy in 2009 caused a particularly extensive damage. Lessons learned by previous experiences and the knowledge acquired through researches allowed facing the first emergency period involving universities, civil protection, and the Cultural Heritage Ministry. The result of this collaboration was the survey and the realization of emergency interventions for thousands of buildings in few months after the earthquake, waiting for the definition and design of definitive solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]