Opened in 2001 next to Piazza Maggiore, Bologna’s heart, the Library is a rich and fascinating cultural space inside Palazzo d'Accursio, the former and historic seat of the city’s government.

Beneath the transparent crystal floor of the covered square, it is possible to admire the ancient excavations and the sedimentation of many civilizations in a scenario of harmony and light. In this way, centuries of history come alive, from the first  rudimentary settlements of the Villanovan civilization of the 7th century B.C., over the Etruscan Felsina to the Roman Bononia founded in 189 B.C.

Salaborsa is a multimedia library with a peculiar focus both on general information and on contemporary culture thanks to a wide range of accessible documents: books, newspapers, magazines, maps, video, CDs, CD-ROMs and DVDs. Its cutting-edge infrastructure is a guarantee of free and thorough access to the news and the Internet.

There are also dedicated areas for children and teenagers:

• Special reading areas will foster the development of critical abilities and enhance the construction of an autonomous and rational mindset;

• Special areas devoted to the promotion of digital literacy through free access to information and multimedia resources will stimulate their technological expertise;

• Special areas will provide a democratic access to knowledge and information by means of a rich variety of documents, resources and other tools;

• Special areas will foster the establishment of new relationships with peers.

Libraries set specific and ambitious goals with regard to adults educating children. First of all, they wish to create an intuitive and rapid access both to the knowledge of the publishing industry and to the study of children’s literature, to be achieved through the consultation of past and present-day works, mainly offered by the book collections of Villa Mazzacorati and the Palazzina dei Giardini Margherita , available in the area Salaborsa Ragazzi, the library’s Kids’ room.