The “Flavia Madaschi” Documentation Center was founded in Bologna in 1982 as an essential part of the association, and with the precise goal of preserving documents produced by individuals, groups, collectives and associations that were part of the movement for LGBTI+ people’s civil rights.

 

As the association grew, the library and archive developed as the expression of an act of research, preservation, protection and analysis of the cultural heritage of Italian LGBTI+ movement; its goal was that of collecting, preserving and sharing historical and cultural records tied to the movement to promote memory and active awareness of LGBTI+ history.

Nowadays, the Center is a library, video library, and archive focused on the themes of sexuality, homosexuality and gender identity. It’s one of the main institution for the preservation of LGBTI+ archival sources in Europe.

Its documentation corpus is made of an archival nucleus and a librarian nucleus which includes books, magazines, posters, audiovisuals, collections of press clippings and grey literature of several types and nature.

 

It has been affiliated with the Istituto Beni Artistici Culturali e Naturali (Institute of artistic, cultural and natural goods) of Emilia-Romagna Region since 1987, and in 2018 the archive
and library have been declared of historical national significance and thus under the legal protection of the Ministry of Culture (Direzione Generale per gli Archivi, Soprintendenza Archivistica e bibliografica dell’Emilia-Romagna ai sensi dell’art. 13 del d.lgs. 22 gen. 2004, n. 42, Codice dei beni culturali e del paesaggio). Since 2001, the library has been part of SBN (National Librarian Service), ACNP (Collective National Archive of Magazines)  and is also one of the over hundred libraries part of the unified Bolognese pole.

 

Activities, services and the heritage of the Documentation Center are included in the “informational library System of Emilia-Romagna Local Entities” (SIBIB). Several projects with the goal of giving value and promoting the preserved heritage are active: study and research presentations, attendance to local cultural projects, readings and workshops for children and teenagers, education courses and other projects promoting the culture of respect and inclusion of all diversity.

The library is also in the networks of Specialmente in biblioteca  – the network for all specialized libraries in Bologna, Rete degli Archivi del Presente and Patto per la lettura of Bologna Municipality.