The church of San Giorgio in Poggiale, of ancient Longobard origins, was designed and built between 1589 and 1633 by architect Tommaso Martelli and entrusted to the Servite Fathers until 1798. Its name derives from the street it overlooks (today Via Nazario Sauro), known until 1919 as Via del Poggiale. In 1882, the church was entrusted to the Jesuits, who remained there until its partial destruction following the air raid of 25 September 1943. Never reopened for worship and definitively deconsecrated, stripped of its furnishings and works of art, between 1959 and 1962 the church ran the risk of being demolished.

Acquired by the Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna, it underwent careful restoration and was reopened to the public in 2009 as the custodian library of the Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna Foundation's extensive library holdings.

San Giorgio in Poggiale houses important works of contemporary art: Campo dei Fiori and the latest monumental Delocazione by Claudio Parmiggiani, as well as the Cattedrale cycle by Piero Pizzi Cannella.

The Library, whose layout was designed by architect Michele De Lucchi, is also the venue for exhibitions and cultural events, as well as being open to the public by appointment for the consultation of materials and the loan service. The library's holdings include 100,000 books, 60,000 of which are part of fonds, the result of purchases, testamentary legacies or donations, and consist mainly of volumes on local history and art history. The newspaper and periodicals library includes titles and titles of various kinds from the end of the 18th century to the present day. The photographic archive consists of a nucleus of approximately 60,000 phototypes, divided into several fonds.

The San Giorgio in Poggiale Art and History Library is part of the Genus Bononiae museum centre.