Abstract

The Italian academic library system, fundamental tool as a support for research and didactics, appears to be divided into thousands of service centres. Since the end of the ninenteen eighties, librarians and academic organs have been trying to remedy this situation putting into the field the following three factors: the automation of the services, the creation of university library systems and the cooperation among library systems of various athenaeums. Future seems to open up toward a greater integration among the internal structures, and, at a national level, a greater development of intercollegiate cooperation which should lead to the integration of various library systems.