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Digital collections

Since the beginning of 2000s, the Library Luigi Chiarini utilize digitalization as a tool for accessing collections, thanks to the “Digital library” and the valorization projects of important collections, as the “Virtual exhibition” and the “Portale del cinema muto italiano” (Italian silent film portal).

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Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia

The Luigi Chiarini Digital Library is a project to convert documentary material into digital form, with the aim of helping to conserve delicate material. Rare cinematographic periodicals are divided up into years and issues and can be accessed on line. They are not, however, available in a printable form for the remote user.

Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia

The idea of creating Virtual displays for the Luigi Chiarin Library at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia arose from a desire to inform a wider public about this rich bibliographical heritage. With this Virtual displays project, the staff members are therefore providing a different, innovative way of operating as a “Library”.

Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia

The eBook is a book in digital format that can be accessed via computers and mobile devices, such as smartphone, tablets and devices specially designed for reading long digital texts, called eReaders (ebook readers).

Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia

Il progetto nasce con il fine di dare visibilità e accesso al patrimonio del cinema muto italiano recuperato negli anni  grazie all’impegno delle istituzioni e alla tenacia degli studiosi.

The digital library is part of the national portal’s and aggregations, such as: Alphabetica, Internet Culturale and CulturaItalia from the “Direzione Generale Biblioteche e Istituti Cuturali”; San and Siusa from the “Direzione Generale Archivi”; Archivi della moda e del Novecento, developed by ANAI (Associazione Nazionale Archivistica Italiana) and promoted by the Direzione Generale Archivi;  as well as the projects “Michael” “Europeana” and “Europeana Fashion” all of them financed by the European Community.

This section presents the results relating to thousands of images with the following warnings:

  •  many digitized documents can be consulted, for copyright reasons, exclusively from the workstations inside the library.
  • the headings of periodicals present in the Library are over 2,000, some of which are digitized and can be consulted in full text by linking from the online catalog.  The digital object of the catalog cards allows access to the websites of the magazines themselves, to the digital library on the Foundation’s website and to the digital collections of important institutions freely available on the web.
  •  the large digital collection of eBooks, digital newsstand, videos, music, audiobooks…, present on the “ReteINDACO”, is accessible from the “Catalogo in linea della Biblioteca” (Library Online Catalog), in some cases upon registration.
  • the Screen Studies Collection (SSC) portal, to which the Library has a subscription, can be consulted with free access from all the work stations of the “Fondazione Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia” at the following link: http://search.proquest.com/screenstudies/

Includes the most important cinema databases:

  • AFI Catalog: is a national filmography documenting the history of American cinema, since its beginnings to 1974: the production, cast, plots, production notes and bibliographical references.
  • Film Index International (FII): an international resource produced in collaboration with the British Film Institute, with information of more then 125,000 films produced worldwide. All these movies cover a period of time from the silent screen to the latest blockbusters, as well as detailed information about around 800,000  personalities.
  • FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals Database (FIAF): international index of almost 350 of the most important cinematographic periodicals, including “Bianco e Nero”, with the full text version of many of them, allowing our users even to enjoy magazines not physically present in the library.  Fiaf makes use of the collaboration of the participating archives (including the Experimental Cinematography Center).