Historic Milan Library Move Prompts Protest

MILAN (05-06) – Milan’s beloved main public library the Biblioteca Sormani that calls itself “The Library of Everyone” and often described as Europe’s most beautiful, has been involved in controversy regarding its future since March when it was announced that the library would cease to exist in the 17th c Baroque Palazzo Sormani. The plan calls for the library to be moved to a new facility and for the building’s transformation into a culture center.

As announced, the library with its collection of a million volumes would be relocated to the new high tech BEIC European Library of Information and Culture that is presently under construction and scheduled to open in 2027. The relocation would strip the city center of its vital library and numerous programs, effectively removing an important intellectual refuge from an area already heavily dominated by tourism. Ironically, the library—established in the reconstructed palace as part of the postwar transformation in the heavily bombed city during World War II—is marking the 70th anniversary of its opening in 1956.

As libraries around the world face ever-increasing censorship and other challenges, resistance to the planned move has been a rallying point for residents, librarians, union members, activists and concerned citizens alike who demand that Biblioteca Sormani remain in its present home.

In amplifying their message of resistance to the change, a rally was held on May 6 in the piazza outside of the Palazzo Reale next to the city’s famous cathedral in the busy city-center tourist district. The protesters called attention to the plan and speakers opposed to the move voiced their concerns regarding the multifaceted impact the move would have on the local and regional community.

Activists wearing and holding signs, asking such questions as whether they should be celebrating an “anniversary or a funeral?” were accompanied by union members from UIL Unione Italiana del Lavoro who called for the hiring of more librarians. “How can you have a library without hiring librarians?” they asked.

One speaker, addressing the large crowd, emphasized the harmful impact the decision would have on residents, nearby university students, and scholars who rely on the facility as a vital intellectual resource for both research and personal enrichment. Another speaker pointed out the library’s important social role for use by people seeking a place of refuge during bitter cold and oppressively hot weather and the lack of alternative public spaces nearby. Speakers noted, too, that the library functions not only as a container of knowledge, but in its many civic and cultural roles, programs, exhibitions and other capacities enriching the entire city.

The presence of the protesters attracted numerous curious tourists, many of whom were unsure of the situation yet eager to capture a souvenir photograph. In doing so, they inadvertently contributed to the wider dissemination of the cause—like seeds scattered on the wind—helping to amplify the message of those assembled in resistance to preserve one of Milan’s distinctive public treasures in situ.

With the municipal election scheduled in 2027, protests regarding the library’s move and future have already initiated great discourse that will in turn play an important role in the election’s outcome.

Report and photos by Phil Pasquini

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