Biblioteca Berenson

The Library of Villa I Tatti

The Biblioteca Berenson

The Berenson Library is a major resource for research on the late Middle Ages and Renaissance in Italy. Thoroughly interdisciplinary in character and increasingly comprehensive, the library possesses an extensive collection mainly of published materials in the history, fine and applied arts, music, literature, science, religion, and philosophy of Italy from circa 1200 to 1650, a rich collection of international scholarly journals, and an exceptional repository of visual materials on Italian Renaissance art. The library also has substantial holdings in the fields of classical studies and archaeology, medieval studies, the Mediterranean region, Renaissance Europe, and Asian and Islamic art and archaeology, as well as a noteworthy collection of historical and current art auction catalogs. Included as integral parts of the Biblioteca Berenson are the Morrill Music Library, the Asian and Islamic Collection, the Fototeca, and the Archive.

The library's combined holdings currently number about 160,000 volumes and pamphlets, including over 1,250 titles printed before 1800, 1,400 periodical titles, of which 600 are currently received, and approximately 14,000 auction catalogues. Over 1,700 medieval and Renaissance manuscripts and some 10,000 books printed before 1800 are held on microfilm or microfiche. The Photograph Library contains over 300,000 photos and related materials.

In addition, readers from terminals or the wireless network in the Biblioteca Berenson, or from outside the Library if they have a Harvard ID, can access an extensive range of online full-text versions of journals as well as many other electronic resources available through Harvard University Library’s HOLLIS catalog.

NEW:  Biblioteca Berenson Guide to E-Resources for Renaissance Studies

The Morrill Music Library

The Morrill Music Library is generally considered the finest reference library for medieval and Renaissance music in Italy. It was established as part of the Biblioteca Berenson in 1964, with funds given by F. Gordon and Elizabeth Morrill in honor of Mr. Berenson. Covering all Western music to 1630, its holdings currently number over 6,000 reference works, monographs and musical treatises, and some 5,000 scores. The Morrill Library is particularly important for its holdings of original sources on microfilm. Beginning with the donation in 1975 of the Armen Carapetyan microfilm collection, the film collection has been steadily expanded and now contains some 2,000 manuscripts of early music and musical treatises and 2,000 books of early printed music. A recently begun CD collection contains approximately 1,000 recordings of early music.

The Oriental and Islamic Collection

Unrelated to the Harvard Center's principal research focus on the Italian Renaissance, this small but distinguished collection attests to Mr. Berenson's long fascination with the archeology, fine arts, and culture of East and South Asia and of the Islamic regions. The collection consists mainly of materials owned by Mr. Berenson, but the Library continues to acquire relevant volumes when possible. It contains some 3,300 books, including a large number of rare, limited and deluxe editions; an important group of approximately 1,000 periodical volumes, including 30 titles in complete runs and 15 currently received; 1,000 auction catalogues of Islamic and Oriental art objects, miniatures, and carpets; and nearly 8,000 rare photographs of Far Eastern and Indian sculpture and painting as well as of monuments of Islamic architecture.

The Fototeca

The Archive

Berenson Library Catalog: HOLLIS 

During the summer of 2007, the Biblioteca Berenson was fully incorporated into the Harvard University Library.  All of its technical processing activities now take place in Harvard's integrated library system, and as of September 3, its cataloged holdings appear in HOLLIS, the union catalog shared by most of Harvard's libraries.  Records of the Berenson Library's materials will continue to appear also in the catalog of the IRIS association, of which it remains an active partner.  Readers are advised, however, to consult the HOLLIS catalog for the most complete and up-to-date information on the Biblioteca Berenson's holdings. 

Durante l'estate 2007 il catalogo della Biblioteca Berenson è confluito nel catalogo delle biblioteche dell'Università di Harvard. Tutta l'attività di catalogazione ha ora luogo all'interno del sistema bibliotecario integrato dell'Università di Harvard e i volumi catalogati appaiono in HOLLIS, il catalogo unitario condiviso dalla maggior parte delle biblioteche di Harvard. I materiali posseduti dalla Biblioteca Berenson continueranno comunque ad apparire anche nel catalogo di  IRIS, consorzio di cui l'istituzione continua a essere socio attivo. Si consiglia tuttavia ai lettori di consultare il catalogo HOLLIS per ottenere le informazioni più complete e aggiornate sui materiali posseduti dalla biblioteca.

Access and Hours

In addition to current and former I Tatti appointees, the Biblioteca Berenson welcomes researchers holding at least the Master's degree or its equivalent. Exceptions may be made on written request. Readers are asked to present a letter of introduction or, if a University professor, current faculty identification. For materials contained in the Berenson Archive, please write in advance with a specific request indicating the materials to be consulted and the purpose of the research.

The Library is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It is closed on Italian national holidays and on other holidays observed by I Tatti; during the month of August; over the Christmas -- New Yearʼs break; and during conferences and lectures (see Calendar for exact dates). Researchers wishing to use the Library are advised to telephone (+39 055 603 251) or send an email in advance to library@itatti.it, to confirm that the Library is open and has not been closed for an unscheduled event or some unforeseeable circumstance.

The Library is open to current and former I Tatti Appointees every day from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Former Appointees should contact the Center or the Library in advance to use the library outside of public hours.

PARKING AT I TATTI

Please send comments or questions to library@itatti.it