A dynastic library par excellence, the Biblioteca Estense was created at the behest of the Este family―Lords of Ferrara―as early as the late fourteenth century, the two remaining closely intertwined until the dissolution of the duchy and unification of Italy. The Library, now a Biblioteca Nazionale, moved to its location at the Palazzo dei Musei in 1882 and became part of the new Gallerie Estensi Museum in 2016.
Online Catalogues
Biblioteca Estense collaborates with the most important Italian collective catalogs. In addition to the paper catalogs placed in the library, that are being digitized, part of the resources can currently be found in online catalogs.
Estense Digital Library
Estense Digital Library is the Digital Humanities project created by Gallerie Estensi with AGO Modena Fabbriche Culturali for the digitization of the funds of the Estense University Library.