Thirty years of correspondence with Francesco Barberi

Abstract

The article forms the first part (the continuation will be published in the next issue) of the long correspondence of Diego Maltese with Francesco Barberi, that continued for over thirty years. Altogether there are 194 letters that date from 22nd November 1955 to 8th April 1987, preserved in part by the author and in part in the Barberi Collection at the Historical Archive of the Italian Library Association in Rome.
The letters offer the occasion for reconstructing the image of a maestro such as Francesco Barberi especially beginning from 1961, when Italy participated in the International Conference of Paris on the principles of cataloguing. The correspondence with the author assumed the form of a real dialogue which was interrupted only on Barberi's death.
Barberi's contribution to the development of Italian professional literature cannot be calculated. As well as having contributed to it with his writings, he always demonstrated that he was a tireless and passionate talent scout. This was an activity that he exercised especially on the field through a constant search for personal meetings and a rich both epistolary and phone correspondence.
Barberi was always very close to all Italian libraries, no matter what their origin or credo, and he was a staunch supporter of those, in whatever position, worked for keeping them going on a daily basis.
Various letters quoted in this first part of the article testify to the intense activity of preparation and publication of the results of the historical Conference of Paris. It was in fact Barberi who suggested to the author that, in the light of the new principles, he work on a hypothesis of revision of the Italian cataloguing rules of 1956.
In spite of the interruption caused by the flood of the Arno that seriously affected the National Library of Florence in November 1966, some years later, thanks to his patience and diplomatic ability, it was possible to resume the project with the establishment of the Ministerial Commission for the revision of the cataloguing rules, for which the author of the article is responsible.
The letters of these years also demonstrate the diligent commitment of Francesco Barberi as director, up to 1967, of the «Bollettino d'informazioni», organ of the Italian Library Association, founded by him in 1961.