The Library

The IGMI library was established when the Institute was transferred into its historic location in Florence, in 1865.
It is housed in the historic premises that once belonged to the Monastery of SS. Annunziata, including the monumental hall dating back to 1694, decorated with two frescoes depicting episodes occurred to the members of the Servite Order. The original collection of library and cartographic heritage was formed with works from the collections owned by the cartographic institutes and bodies of the pre-existing Italian states. Some of the most significant documents are works by famous geographers, such as Tommaso Borgonio – who worked during the 17th century in Piedmont, the the first geometric map of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, drawn by Giovanni Inghirami and the first geodetic map of the Kingdom of the two Sicilies by Giovanni Antonio Rizzi-Zannoni, who who worked between the 18th and 19th centuries.
With the start of the Gran Carta d’Italia project, which was intended to provide the first comprehensive cartographic coverage of the entire national territory, this collection began to take on considerable historical and archival interest. By the end of the 1880s, the collection of documents had grown to such an extent that it required library-style organization.
In 1908, the inventory of all the material in the library’s possession was completed and the library began to function, but it was not until 1938 that it was finally opened for public consultation. In 1928, it also became the Military Library of Florence. From 1944 until the end of World War II, the Library, along with the Institute, were transferred to Dobbiaco – Toblach (Bolzano).
Since its establishment, the library’s collections have been enriched through acquisitions, donations, exchanges, and legacies (notably the Muller, Bianconi, Pasqui Cartoni, Tordi, and De Filippi cartographic collections).

In 2002, the Library was entitled to Attilio Mori (1865-1937), topographer at IGMI, Director of the Library and Professor Emeritus at the University of Florence.