Now the property of the Bergamo City Council, the Angelo Maj Civic Library was founded in 1768 with the bequest of the Bergamasque cardinal Alessandro Furietti (1684-1764), who was a scholar of classical antiquities in Rome. Like many other historic libraries in Europe, its roots can be traced to the century of learning and enlightenment.
With the passing of time, the Library has been enriched by important collections donated by both public and private bodies. Today it ranks among Italy's best-stocked and most-used research and conservation libraries. Unique among Italian libraries, its collection is distinguished by the variety of types of materials held: not only books, journals and newspapers, but also codices, incunabula, correspondences, maps, archives, music, photographs, coins, relics, paintings and busts.
With the Napoleonic suppression of the religious houses in 1797, the Library had its moment of fastest growth, acquiring the book collections and, in some cases, the entire archives of numerous ancient monasteries and charitable institutions.
Until 1927, the Library was housed in the raised Palazzo della Ragione, on the other side of the Upper Town's main square facing its present location. The building that it has occupied since 1927 is called the New Palace (Palazzo Nuovo), which was begun in the early seventeenth century according to the designs of Vincenzo Scamozzi, a pupil of Palladio; it was the seat of the Bergamo Town Council until 1873. The growth and reputation of the Library have no doubt been aided by its having been located in two of Bergamo's most prestigious public buildings.
In 1954, the Library was dedicated to the memory of the Bergamasque Angelo Maj (1752-1854). Cardinal Maj was the Librarian of the Apostolic Library in the Vatican and a noted paleographer and discoverer of classical texts.
Since 1987, the Library has been part of the National Library Service (Sbn). Its acquisitions since that date have been catalogued online and are consultable at the internet site www.sbn.it.
The Library at present contains some 645,000 volumes and is consulted by an average of 230 persons per day. Bergamo City Council spends approximately one and a half billion lire (US$750,000) on its annual upkeep and development. In addition, there are many volunteers and friends, organised in the association of the Friends of the Maj Library (Amici della Biblioteca Maj), who contribute with their help and support to the Library's constant growth.