The library of the University of the Republic of San Marino attracts academics from the United States and the East, contributing to ongoing research in the field of mnemonics, understood as the art of memory that involves the set of methods developed to memorize large amounts of information that would otherwise be difficult to recall.
Lucia Delaini, a 30-year-old pursuing a PhD in Historical Rhetoric at Northwestern University in Chicago, is currently on Titan analyzing the approximately 200 volumes of the Young Collection, described by semiologist and writer Umberto Eco as "the richest mnemonic collection in Europe." Delaini's work is part of a larger project in which the collection, which includes texts from 1400 to 1700 acquired by the University of San Marino in 1991, will be able to offer valuable contributions: "My work focuses on the role of the body as a place and instrument of learning, and in this sense the Young Collection allows me to consult a collection whose qualities, in addition to its rarity and content, include being preserved in a single location, thus providing a comprehensive overview to understand how things have evolved over time and what was happening in different countries during the same period. If this collection were not present, to consult the same volumes I would have to visit libraries in many European cities and would not have the same immediacy in my study."
The Young Collection is also of interest to Andrea Nanetti, a professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, who is scheduled to visit on August 2nd. "The growing activity that brings scholars from around the world to our library is a sign of expansion that can only be satisfying," explains Gabriella Lorenzi, director of the facility. "It enhances our work and is a testament to the quality of what we offer."
In the photo, from left: the library director, Gabriella Lorenzi, and Lucia Delaini of Northwestern University in Chicago, during a phase of studies on the Young Collection, dedicated to the art of memory.