History of the Library
The founding act of the Library dates back to August 15, 1772, and states: "Before any other provision or expense, the College of Brera shall prioritize the purchase of a good assortment of mathematical, astronomical, and physical books, to be permanently kept in one of the rooms of the Observatory, for the convenience of the Astronomers and others; among these books, the collection of the most renowned academies seems indispensable, as they contain the greatest discoveries in both Astronomy and Physics, and offer a precious collection of observations."
The first volumes intended to form the library came from the extremely rich collection of the Jesuit College of Brera, within which the Observatory had been established. Already during the 18th century, the original collection was enriched through purchases of books from all over Europe, as evidenced by some supplier invoices found in the Historical Archive of the Observatory, as well as through numerous exchanges, documented in the correspondence of those years. Traveling also provided an opportunity to acquire new books, and this is exactly what Barnaba Oriani did during his journey through Europe in 1786.
In the following century, acquisitions continued, and with Giovanni Schiaparelli’s directorship beginning in 1862, the creation of an impressive bound collection of miscellaneous publications (the so-called Mixta) was initiated. This endeavor continued under the leadership of Giovanni Celoria (1900–1917) and Emilio Bianchi (1922–1941), and today it represents a distinctive feature of the Observatory’s Library.
Starting in 1923, a library was also established at the new “branch location” in Merate, which had been built from that year onward for astrophysical observations. Shortly before his death (on July 4, 1910), Giovanni Schiaparelli had expressed to his son Attilio his wish to donate his astronomy and physics books to the Observatory “so that (in his own words) this institution may complete its collections, and possibly create a subsidiary collection of books for the astronomical station which, in the not-too-distant future, it will find itself needing to establish outside of Milan.” It was indeed Schiaparelli’s 1,788 volumes and 1,157 pamphlets that formed the initial core of the Merate library.