I bibliotecari del Collegio Romano (1551-1873): un contributo per la storia delle biblioteche della Compagnia di Gesù

To date, the growing number of publications dedicated to the history of Jesuit libraries has tended to deal with the institutional history of each collection, often using catalogues and inventories from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and within a stable normative framework - albeit subject to variation within the broad international context of the Jesuit houses to which the libraries belonged. The aim of this paper is to describe the history of an important library--that of the Roman College--focusing on the Jesuits who managed it over the course of a long period (1551- 1873). The present study provides an introductory historical overview of the college library, its physical spaces and book collection, followed by a detailed analysis of the college librarians. By focusing on these figures, it has been possible to identify the evolutionary threads in the Society's concept of the library from the time of Ignatius onwards. In addition, an appendix provides a chronological list of the Jesuits appointed to the library and the first biographical dictionary of Jesuit librarians active at the Roman College.