At San Giorgio in Poggiale, the Art and History Library, which is listed in the “Genus Bononiae” museum itinerary, you can find a well-preserved, rich photographic archive as well as a valuable inventory of ancient and modern books, manuscripts, incunabula, announcements, edicts, notifications and musical works.

The Art and History Library preserves around 100,000 volumes, the result of purchases, donations, legacies and the acquisition of the historical nucleus of the Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna, collected from the moment it was established in 1837, right up until the 1980s.

You can consult the heritage of books of the Library of San Giorgio in Poggiale by referring to the Catalogo del Polo Bolognese del Servizio Bibliotecario Nazionale Sebina Opac. 

At Palazzo Saraceni, the headquarters of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna, there are now around 50,000 volumes covering a wide range of topics, all of which make reference to the history, art, traditions and culture of the city of Bologna and its surrounding area.

After cataloguing its collections, the Foundation put a project into action, namely a project aiming to share its heritage of books through an extensive donation programme, aimed particularly at local libraries of various establishments, and social and educational organisations, ensuring that the preferences and needs of the recipients were duly considered.

The programme was put into action in early 2016. To date, donations have exceeded 4,500 volumes, which have been donated to the Istituzione Biblioteche di Bologna (a group that includes the Libraries of Salaborsa, the Archiginnasio and the municipal libraries of the district); city high schools; libraries of the main municipalities of the Metropolitan Area; the Ecclesiastical Libraries Centre; the Casa Circondariale di Bologna; the ANCeSCAO Bologna Association; libraries of establishments such as the Academy of Fine Arts; the Cultural Heritage Institute, and the Giacomo Lercaro Foundation.

Alongside its commitment to conservation and promotion, the Foundation also provides direct support for publishing initiatives in the artistic, cultural and scientific sectors.