The legal deposit of cartographic materials in Italy and their census by the Bollettino delle pubblicazioni italiane ricevute per diritto di stampa and the BNI

Abstract

The paper deals with two closely related issues: the legal deposit of cartographic materials in Italy and their census by the Bollettino delle pubblicazioni italiane ricevute per diritto di stampa (1886-1957) and the Bibliografia nazionale italiana (BNI, 1958). Although cartographic materials represent a heritage of extraordinary historical, artistic and cultural value, they have long been neglected by legal deposit regulations, and their census by the Bollettino and Bibliografia nazionale italiana was irregular for a long time, until it was completely abandoned in the 1960s. Moreover, only maps and atlases were required to be deposited and surveyed, while other types of cartographic resources such as globes, three-dimensional models and digital maps have never been taken into account.