Biblioteca Archivio

The Library Archives offer the following services:

• Bibliographic consultation
• Access to hard copy and electronic catalogues
• Consultation of the open shelf archives and the perusal on site of the Heritage Library.
• Consultation of the Specialised Sector Magazines/Journals
• Personal lending facilities of the Library Materials/Documents since January 2014
• Audio Documents Listening Facilities
• Consultation and Vision of Video registrations
• Consultation and Vision of Photographic documents
• Consultation of Artistic Documentation (AKA- Artistic ‘grey’ material)
• Inter-Library Lending
• Photocopies and re-productions
• Internet Access
• Books and Theatre programmes of the Theatre Events/performances are available for perusal and easily accessible for consultation.
• The latest edition of the newspapers is available for perusal. Consultation of previous editions must be requested at the Information Desk with the appropriate request form.

ACQUISITIONS

Geri Bonfiglioli Donation:
Complete collection of original Theatre programmes of the “Società Ferrarese dei Concerti” (Ferrara Concert Company), active in Ferrara from 1946-1955. The documents are related to the institution and its organisation, correspondence between some impresarios, artists and its founder Renzo Bonfiglioli.
Enrico Crippa Donation:
Collection of Specialised Magazines/journals: Il Dramma, first series (1945- 1966) and second series (1968/1969); Teatro, certain numbers from 1943.
Editions from 1900 to 1969 with texts by Theatrical Authors such as Luigi Pirandello, Gabriele D’Annunzio, Giuseppe Giacosa.
Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara Foundation Deposit:
Three original photographs of extraordinary artistic-historical value which figure Maria Waldmann, Khedive Ismail and Giuseppe Verdi (the latter displays a signed autograph by the Maestro Verdi dedicated to Maria Waldmann).
Bergamini Donation
Vocal and Orchestra Collection of the Opera Drama Prologue and three Acts Ugo and Parisina, composed in 1878. A printed score of the G.B Bergamini High Mass for three parts solo. Arranged for piano and organ.

The donation of singular documents and entire collections are gladly accepted and welcomed by the Historical Archives/Library in the case that their acquisition is coherent in nature and purpose, in particular where they enrich and integrate already present collections and serve to bridge a gap in existing collection assortments. The offer of material already present in our Library/Archives is accepted when its addition supports and accommodates concrete service or conservation needs. Donations can therefore be kindly refused or appointed to other equally worthy cultural institutions. Complimentary ticket subscriptions and periodicals may be also agreed upon.

HISTORY

As per the Foundation Statute (Art. 2, comma j) the Library-Archives were created to protect and promote the Historical Heritage of the activities undertaken by the Ferrara Teatro Comunale Foundation.
It has made up part of the Ferrara Library Centre/Network since 2007.
Its identity was gradually formed from the mid 1990’s as a collection and conservation centre for materials of Artistic Nature, promotional or documentation illustrating and testifying to the performances and events realized by the Ferrara Teatro Comunale since its opening in 1964(mainly Performance programmes, photographs, playbills, press releases, books related to the Theatre and audio and video registrations).

For the starting two decades of the Theatre’s History, the Archive houses few examples of Theatre Activities (1964-1980), whereas from the 1980’s onwards, there is a sharp increase of documentation to the collection due to the abundance of Photographic and Video material taken of the performances.
The material gathered and conserved is of specific artistic and organisational relevance.

HERITAGE

The Heritage of the Library Archives grows daily with every Performance held.

At present the Archives contain:

• 780 Theatre programmes of all performances held at the Ferrara Teatro Comunale since 1994 See catalogue
• 500 publications of Music, Theatre, Ballet, History of the Theatre, Monographs on individual performances and Artists See catalogue
• 16 Italian and Foreign Magazines related to the field (both active and inactive).
• 15 Degree Thesis/Dissertations with the Theatre as their topic discussion.

The Archives conserve:

• 2400 playbills
• 34 scripts
• press releases on live performances, in chronological order, from 1980-2013 in paper/hard copy format and electronically from the 2013/2014 season.
• Document Units relative to the promotion of Theatre Event/performances from 1964-today.The Mediacentre offers:

• 490 video registrations of programmed performances at the Teatro Comunale (of which 220 DVD and 270 VHS)
• 1100 integral video registrations or synopsis/summaries of performances by companies, theatres or institutions from all over the world.
• 2200 audio registrations of opera, concerts and conferences ( 305 reels, 1180 audio-cassettes, 504 digital audio-cassettes, 211 compact discs).
• 300 edited compact discs of Opera and instrumental music
• 300 LP vinyl records of various music

Photographic Archives Approximately 250,000 photographic images divided into the following:

• 180.600 film stock negative stills
• 14.000 reversal film slides
• 15.000 prints both black and white and colour  See Catalogue
• 190.000 digital images, 10.000 negatives, 180.000 from photo shoots  See Catalogue

From 1964, the Theatre has documented their own events and performances, accumulating a wealth of photographs which until 1980 contained positive images, received from different companies and various photographers.
From 1980 onwards the banks entire collection became more homogeneous and consistent as the photographer Marco Caselli Nirmal started to realise the near majority of the images. The type of technology diversified and negatives and slides were added to the collection of the positives, and from the 2000/20001 season, digital images complemented the assortment.
For the seasons 1980/81 to 2000/2001, a selection has been compiled from all the negative images available. Whereas, both the positives and certain digital files from the collection are available for consultation online at The Unified Ferrara Libraries Network.