Florence's National Central Library reopens, but books will go into quarantine

Following the announcement by the City of Florence that it will not be able to reopen its civic museums on May 18 because it is too costly, the National Central Library in the Tuscan capital has announced that it will reopen that week, subject to the safety regulations set for the health emergency.

According to director Luca Bellingeri, the Library will have reduced hours compared to the usual 11 hours a day, entrances will be restricted, and every service will be regulated by online reservation. “This is the first time in the history of Italy that all libraries have been closed at the same time,” said the director and added, “we are physically reopening the door, but to return to normal. The road is long and may change from week to week; it has been months of great sacrifice, more for our users than for us.” One of the changes that will be introduced with the security measures will be the quarantine of books, at least ten days, after each loan or consultation on the premises, although “it will take time to return to the average of three hundred users per day.”

The director also specifies that “the intention was to open on Monday, May 18, but because security protocols need to be signed with the unions and the final meeting will take place this Thursday, there is no technical time frame. We will still open the first days of next week. Sanitization has been done and we have procured all the necessary materials, from masks to the thermoscanner.”

As for staffing, he explains that “at present the expectation is that the ordinary mode of work for the entire public administration will remain the remote one: until this rule changes, I cannot foresee the presence of all the staff.” This week, he points out, some 20 have returned to headquarters, but organizing themselves in shifts, so that there are never more than six people at once.

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Florence's National Central Library reopens, but books will go into quarantine

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