Student Journals: AIFS in Rome, Italy

Enrique Galvez
Lake Forest College
Richmond in Rome, Italy

An Internship at the Biblioteca Angelica

The Biblioteca Angelica is one of several historic libraries of Rome, located in the heart of the Historical Center in the Campo Marzio. What sets the Angelica apart from the rest is that it was the first library in Europe to be open to the general public. In my search for an internship in Rome, this stuck out as being a potentially amazing experience. Being a history major, with a minor in literature, it was the perfect fit.

I was a little apprehensive about an internship in Rome, because I was not sure what kind of responsibilities I would have, being foreign and having about an intermediate level of Italian. However, it did not take long to settle in, this fact greatly aided by the people working there, who were very nice and welcoming. I was one of the few (if any) people who knew English well, which not only helped my Italian immensely, but gave me a certain importance in the office; someone to consult when there were difficulties with the language.

To understand fully what the Angelica is like, it is important to know its history. Founded in 1604, it is named after the Augustinian Bishop Angelo Rocca, whose massive collection of rare editions and literary volumes was maintained by the Augustine friars in Rome after his death. The Augustinian collection accumulated many valuable works from Roman nobles and the friars themselves in the centuries before the library’s founding, and has continued to incorporate many important funds and bodies of work through the years. The history of the library largely reflects the historical changes that Rome itself saw. Therefore, during the period of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation in the eighteenth century, the main base of Augustinian thought and literature, which is fundamental to this day to research of that period, was created in the Angelica. After the Italian Risorgimento, which ended in naming Rome the capital of the newly formed Italy, the Angelica became property of the Italian State, as it still is today.

This means that, for some types of research, the Angelica has among its works the core material, drawing writers, students and professors from around the world. Among the common places making requests are those from the United States. This made my role in understanding and helping to respond more important. I also made use of my language skills, as I continued to improve my Italian, in translating booklets that are offered. It is not uncommon to have English-speaking researchers in the library, and I would like to think that I made their work easier.

Perhaps as much as learning the history and literature, I developed a much broader understanding of Italian culture through the office life. Seeing and being part of this is an experience that immerses one in the culture and clearly shows the differences from that of America. The social interactions and personal contacts I made are worth as much as the amazing history I learned. Hopefully more will have the opportunity to have the same great experience as me.