Library holdings
The History Library of the University of Padua has one of the most comprehensive collections in Italy, which is constantly growing and being updated.
The physical holdings include approximately 95,000 volumes, 120 current and 500 discontinued periodicals, DVDs and CD-ROMs, and ancient printed material.
The main areas of interest are:
- Medieval, modern and contemporary history;
- Venetian History;
- History of Christianity and Ancient Christian Literature;
- Palaeography, Archival Studies and Library Science.
More recently, other subject areas have become important in the teaching of History and Historical Sciences degree courses, such as: Cultural Anthropology, Women and Gender History, Mediterranean History, American History, Global History, Mobility Studies and History of Eastern European Countries.
The Library also buys all examination books for History degree courses and keeps several specialised series up to date.
Books and journals are for the most part freely accessible on the open shelf.
Some of the books and some discontinued journals are located in external storage facilities (Nuovo Archivio di Legnaro and Deposito di Palazzo Beldomandi): these materials can be booked through Galileodiscovery or requested at the front office and arrive at the library after a few days.
Special Collections and Book Holdings
The library's collections include book collections from legacies and donations and special collections (old photographs, ancient material, etc.).