Niscemi: ICOM Italy, AIB and ANAI make urgent appeal to Sicilian Region for historic library at risk of collapse

ICOM Italy, theItalian Library Association (AIB) and theItalian National Archival Association (ANAI) with their respective Sicilian sections express their closeness and solidarity to the citizens of Niscemi at a critical time for social and economic life and launch an urgent appeal to the Sicilian Region to recall the implications that this emblematic case poses in terms of the protection and rescue of cultural heritage. In particular, the appeal focuses on the situation of the “Angelo Marsiano” Historical Library in Niscemi at risk of collapse as a result of the landslide that occurred recently: “not only is it the subject of widespread concern by the national and international community, but it dramatically re-proposes the issue of the protection and management of our cultural heritage in emergency conditions be these landslides, floods or earthquakes,” the note reads.

The library holds thousands of volumes and is guarded until now by the heirs, who had expressed their intention to allow scholars and citizens access. Today it is “in a condition of serious criticality as it is located in a building exposed to phenomena of instability with progressive collapse towards the valley. The risk to the physical integrity of the library holdings is therefore concrete and, it seems, almost irreversible. Similar concerns are expressed for the ”Mario Gori“ Municipal Library, which is located in the current red zone and is closed to the public.”

“This case highlights, in an exemplary way,” the note continues, “the issue of safeguarding cultural heritage in emergency situations. When an asset is exposed to imminent danger, or when it is affected by unforeseeable factors, the timeliness of decisions, the existence of defined procedures and the availability of safe places for temporary shelter become determining factors in preventing its damage or loss.”

“Although the Ministry of Culture has long developed specific Guidelines on the subject and has a dedicated structure, now the Central Institute for Risk Management,” it reads, “it can be observed that, in a region with a special statute like Sicily, the articulated framework of competencies and the presence of multiple actors involved (institutions, Civil Defense, regional administrations and cultural institutes) represent a context in which continuous dialogue and inter-institutional coordination are fundamental elements to ensure timely and effective interventions in critical moments.”

ICOM Italy, which for many years, through the Prevention, Safety and Emergency Working Group, has produced documents, identified operational tools and organized training initiatives, often in collaboration with the AIB and ANAI and ICCROM (for example: Decalogue on Interventions in Emergencies 2016; Cultural Heritage at Risk - Emergency Evacuation of Collections, 2020), highlights how the evacuation of collections should be part of a structured preventive planning, based on serious risk assessments, prioritization, and proper documentation and prior availability of safe storage facilities.

In light of these considerations and the long study and field experience gained in recent years, ICOM Italia, AIB and ANAI make some operational proposals to the Sicilian Region, aimed not only at managing the current emergency, but at structurally strengthening the regional system of protection: promote, if it will be possible, the rescue and safe transfer of the Angelo Marsiano library to a suitable location, in agreement with the heirs and the Superintendencies; activate a permanent regional technical table on the safeguarding of cultural heritage, involving the Region, Civil Protection, MiC, AIB, ANAI, Universities and specialized expertise; initiate regional planning for the identification andsetting up emergency warehouses for mobile cultural assets, which can also be used, in case of disasters or risk situations, as conservation and restoration centers, following the example of what the Ministry of Culture has already implemented in regions affected by earthquakes or floods; promoting training paths and shared operational protocols on the recovery of cultural assets in emergencies, in collaboration with the Civil Protection and protection institutions.

Actions that, the note reads, “would have not only a contingent but a structural value, helping to strengthen a culture of prevention and protection of cultural heritage in Sicily. ICOM Italia, AIB and ANAI, through their Sicilian territorial sections, in coherence with their mission confirm their full availability to offer their technical-scientific contribution and to collaborate in any institutional working tables.”

Niscemi: ICOM Italy, AIB and ANAI make urgent appeal to Sicilian Region for historic library at risk of collapse

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