The ancient library of the Franciscan friars, located in the convent dating back to the second half of the 14th century, is the oldest nucleus of the current municipal library. In 1761 the architect Cosimo Morelli was commissioned to create an elegant library with square plan. This Aula Magna was originally destined to host the library of the convent; it was frescoed by Alessandro Della Nave and Antonio Villa who decorated it with a painted balcony with skylights, parts in stucco and others in faux marble.
This is the oldest part of the library, and it contains over 13,000 volumes – some of which are rare antiques that testify the history of Imola.

Franciscan Library
via Emilia 80
tel. 0542.602636
e-mail: [email protected]

Accessible to the disabled

Opening hours:
The Aula Magna can be visited by asking the staff (here the opening hours)

The IC7 Schools District library is located in the Pedagna district and was inaugurated on 17 October 2015.

The library, which has been housed in the Luigi Orsini School since 1988, contains around ten thousand fiction and non-fiction books for children and adults. The entire catalogue is available online, and the book loan service has been computerised in the SBN UBO (the University of Bologna Hub of the National Library Service), of which all Imola’s public libraries are members.

Book City Library
via Vivaldi 76 c/o Istituto Comprensivo 7
tel. 0542.685100
e-mail: [email protected]

Accessible to the disabled

Opening hours:

Winter
Tuesday 3.00pm to 6.00pm
Saturday 9.00am to 12.00pm

Summer
Tuesday & Thursday 9.00am to 12.00pm

Variable summer closing during August

The juvenile section of Imola public library is located in the old centre of the city near the San Francesco complex, home of the renewed public library.

The elegant three-floor building from the 18th century that hosts the juvenile library was donated by the Piani family from Imola to the Municipality in 1965. After being carefully renovated, the new seat was inaugurated on 20 January 1990 with the name of Casa Piani. The play area on the ground floor of the building was also opened at the same time.

The recognisability of the building, the pleasantness of its surroundings, the organization of the spaces and the richness of the decorations all contributed in giving it a strong civic identity.
The Juvenile section was already present in 1961 under the name of Biblioteca Giardino and it was housed inside the rooms of the Public library.

Biblioteca Giardino for young people had approximately 9,000 volumes, which are the historical heritage of the Childrens library.

Casa Piani Children’s Library
via Emilia 88
tel. 0542.602630
e-mail: [email protected]
web: Casa Piani

Accessible to the disabled

Opening hours:

(from 15/09 to 14/06)
from Tuesday to Friday 8.30am to 1.00pm & 2.15pm to 6.30pm
Saturday 8.30am to 1.00pm

(from 15/06 to 14/09)
from Monday to Saturday 8.30am to 1.00pm
Tuesday & Thursday 2.15pm to 7.00pm

Variable summer closing during August

It is located inside the spaces of the Zolino Social Centre and is for children of all ages and adults.

It has tales, narrative books, books for the pre-school age, manuals for making small creative works, volumes in original language and a specific intercultural bibliography.

Pippi Longstocking Children’s Library
via Tinti 1 c/o Centro Sociale Zolino
e-mail: [email protected]

Accessible to the disabled

Opening hours:
Monday and Thursday 2.30pm to 6.00pm

Variable summer closing during August

Started by the Provincial Consortium of Public Reading in 1970.
It was transferred to new premises in May 2002, with enlarged spaces, renewed works and a surrounding park with outdoor reading areas.

Ponticelli Library
via Montanara 252/c – Loc. Ponticelli
tel. 0542.684766
e-mail: [email protected]

Accessible to the disabled

Opening hours:

Winter
Tuesday and Thursday 3.00pm to 6.30pm
Saturday 9.30am to 12.30pm

Summer
Tuesday 3.00pm to 7.00pm
Thursday 9.00am to 12.00pm & 3.00pm to 7.00pm

Variable summer closing during August

The Public Library is situated in what used to be the antique 13th century convent of S. Francesco.
It was renovated between the years 1749-1762 by the architect Alfonso Torreggiani, from Bologna, and then by Cosimo Morelli, from Imola.
They designed the imposing staircase leading to the first floor and the refined Aula Magna which was originally destined to host the library of the convent.
At the end of the 18th century, during the Napoleonic abolition of the convents, the religious libraries were confiscated by the government and the one of S. Francesco, which was the largest and the richest, acquired all the others of the town. In 1811 the Libreria di S. Francesco became a part of the municipal organisation and during the 18th and 19th century grew rapidly thanks to the many private donations.

Today the library contains more than 500.000 volumes and multimedia documents. The recent renovations have permitted to open on the ground floor large halls with open shelves dedicated to Italian and foreign fiction, non-fiction and essays, tourist guides, magazines and newspapers.
The archive room is reserved for the study of manuscripts, rare books and various documents.

Public Library
via Emilia 80
tel. 0542.602636
e-mail: [email protected]
web: Bim

Accessible to the disabled

Opening hours:

(from 15/09 to 14/06)
Monday & Saturday 8.30am to 1.00pm
from Tuesday to Friday 8.30am to 6.45pm
Tuesday evening also 8.00pm to 10.00pm

(from 15/06 to 14/09)
from Monday to Saturday 8.30am to 1.00pm
Tuesday also 2.15pm to 10.30pm
Thursday also 2.15pm to 7.00pm

Variable summer closing during August

Started by the Provincial Consortium of Public Reading in 1970.It was transferred to new premises in 1984, with enlarged spaces, renewed works and a surrounding park with outdoor reading areas.

Sasso Morelli Library
via Correcchio 142 – Loc. Sasso Morelli
tel. 0542.55394
e-mail: [email protected]

Accessible to the disabled

Opening hours:
Tuesday & Thursday 3.45pm to 6.15pm

Variable summer closing during August

Started by the Provincial Consortium of Public Reading in 1968.

It was transferred to new premises in 1999, with enlarged spaces, renewed works and a surrounding park with outdoor reading areas.

Sesto Imolese Library
via San Vitale 125 – Loc. Sesto Imolese
tel. 0542.76121
e-mail: [email protected]

Accessible to the disabled

Opening hours:

Winter
Tuesday & Thursday 8.30am to 1.00pm & 2.15pm to 6.30pm
Wednsday 8.30am to 1.00pm
Friday 2.00pm to 6.30pm

Summer
Tuesday & Thursday 8.15am to 1.00pm & 2.15pm to 6.30pm
Friday 8.00am to 1.00pm

Variable summer closing during August