In Ales, Antonio Gramsci's birthplace, a group of librarians and archivists has been working for four years to establish a library that is entirely dedicated to Gramsci's works and to writings on Gramsci. The goal is to house under one roof a comprehensive collection of Italian and foreign editions of Gramsci's writings, as well as all the works listed in the two volumes of the Gramsci Bibliography compiled by John Cammett and Maria Luisa Righi.
A number of technical and organizational issues concerning the cataloging and storage of materials have already been resolved. The collection is starting to take shape.
Once the collection is moved to its permanent location--which is expected to be the house at Ales where Gramsci was born--the project will enter its final stage of development. A "service" operation will be put in place to facilitate the use of the library by readers and researchers and to provide the means whereby international scholars can have access to the materials electronically or through other methods of duplication and transmission.
The organizers of the project wish to have the Biblioteca Gramsciana operating as soon as possible. Their success in meeting their goals depends almost entirely on the cooperation and generosity of editors and authors who have produced books and articles by and about Gramsci. Everyone--especially members of the International Gramsci Society--who has published work on or by Gramsci is strongly urged to send copies to the project director: