Library

The Institute's Library, which can be described as a nerve centre for information on a national and international scale, is a partner in the most important Italian initiatives in sharing library resources. Since the beginning of the 1990s, it has made a concrete contribution to the creation of the Local Hub of the National Library System (SBN), also acting as the computer support administrator.

In the interests of optimizing the service, the Library/Documentation Centre signed up to the National Periodical Catalogue (ACNP), making its own store of material available through the free exchange of scientific articles between member libraries.

Since 2001, it has shared the experience of the Medical Documentary Librarians (BDS), becoming responsible for the south-central area of Italy. This initiative was the origin of the Bibliosan network, an integrated system of resources shared by the libraries/documentation centres of the National Health Service (IRCCS, IZS, ISS and ISPESL), which is progressively extending to other health bodies such as hospitals and Local Health Authorities. The library has also been responsible for the creation of the "Portal of Knowledge, Innovation and Skills in the service of man", a specialized computer system within the veterinary and biomedical disciplines which makes the scientific skills and research structures of the Institute accessible and promotes collaboration with similar national and international organizations. The Portal contains a bibliographical and documentary database which can be interrogated over the internet using a single interface which allows resources to be recovered in digital format.

Among the principal services offered by the Library of the Istituto G. Caporale are the following:

• access to the CABI, ANABS, ASFA and MEDLINE data banks:
• ability to consult and interrogate the  Bibliosan  network;

• support for bibliographical research and for writing scientific presentations and communications;

•  document delivery service ;
• access to the National Library Service;

• national and international inter-library loan facilities;

• delivery of training courses for consulting data banks with biomedical and regulatory content;

• monthly issue of the  Bulletin of Legislative Announcements on the internet.