A Library between history and science

Abstract

The University of Camerino Botany Library was established in 1828 by Vincenzo Ottaviani, founder of the botanical gardens. The library collections have grown over the years thanks to the professors' passion for scientific research, and its history reflects the transformations occurred in the scientific and academic world, the political passions that would have led to revolutions in Europe and the institutional problems of a small Italian university with a rich and complex historical background. By analyzing the library’s historical inventory and its collections' development we can catch a glimpse of the feverish scientific spirit of the time – a time of great innovations and knowledge exchange at an international level.