Rudi Vecoli Library

Named after the late historian of Italian American history, the Rudi Vecoli Library of the Italian Cultural Center of Minneapolis / St. Paul houses over 2,000 books in Italian and in English. In addition to the classics, the center offers contemporary Italian literature - books currently read and discussed in Italy - as well as nonfiction works covering Italian history, art, culture, food, and much more. We invite you to come to the center and browse through the library!

Mission

The mission of the Rudi Vecoli Library of the Italian Cultural Center of Minneapolis / St. Paul is to promote knowledge, understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of Italian language, literature, history, culture and heritage. The Library pursues this mission by providing access to a broad range of literary, educational and artistic materials of relevance to both transplanted Italians and Italian Americans, as well as anyone with an interest in Italy and all things Italian.

Collections and Subcollections

• Fiction & Literature
• Gialli
• Nonfiction
• General Nonfiction
• Art Photo Books
• Food & Cooking
• Italian Americans
• Italian History   
• Travel Photo Books
• Travel/Tourist Guides           

• Periodicals
• Musical Scores & Librettos
• CDs
• DVDs & Blu-ray Discs

Library Policy and Procedures

The Rudi Vecoli Library of the Italian Cultural Center of Minneapolis / St. Paul is open to the public on days when ICC staff or Library volunteers are present.  The Library may be used by both members of the ICC and non-members. However, only members of the ICC may borrow materials for use outside the offices of the ICC.  

Materials may be borrowed for a period of 30 days.

Materials may be checked out by completing the sign-out sheet located in the Library. The following information is to be provided on the sign-out sheet:

• ICC member’s name, phone number and email address
  
• Title and author of book being borrowed (or comparable information for items other than books)
  
• Date item was borrowed  
  

Returned items should be left in the Library in the bin provided for this purpose. (Patrons should not re-shelve items themselves). The date the item was returned should be noted on the sign-out sheet.

The borrowing and returning of Library materials will be tracked in the Library’s online catalog program, LibraryThing, using information provided on the sign-out sheet.

Overdue items: If a borrowed item is kept beyond the 30-day loan period, a reminder notice will be sent (by email or text) alerting the borrower that the item is overdue and providing a 2-week grace period to return the item. The borrower will also be given the option of renewing the item for a second 30-day period rather than returning it immediately. If the borrower wishes to renew the item for a second 30 days, a reply message indicating this should be sent to the ICC. If the borrower does not either return the overdue item or indicate a wish to renew the loan by the end of the 2-week grace period, a second notice requesting the return of the overdue item will be sent. This notice will also include a warning that the borrower will be charged the cost of replacing the overdue item if it is not returned within 10 days.  

Online Catalog

The Rudi Vecoli Library’s online catalog can be found at the following site: https://www.librarything.com/catalog/Vecoli

Donation Guidelines

The Rudi Vecoli Library of the Italian Cultural Center of Minneapolis/St. Paul welcomes donations of books and other materials (e.g., periodicals, DVDs) that support and are consistent with the Library’s mission. 

The primary focus of the Library is Italian literature and fiction; that is, classic and contemporary works of literature and fiction written in Italian. The Library gratefully accepts donations of such works printed in their original Italian, as well as versions translated into English.  

Other materials accepted for the Library include (but are not limited to):

• Italian translations of literature and fiction originally written in other languages
  
• Italian-language nonfiction works, especially those concerned with Italian history, art and culture
  
• English-language nonfiction works concerned with Italian history, art and culture, especially those translated from Italian
  
• Nonfiction works (in Italian or English) concerned with the history and experiences of Italian-Americans 
  
• Italian-language children’s books, including those translated from other languages
  
• Travel photo books or tourist guides (in Italian or English) concerning places in Italy 
  
• Instructional or reference materials concerning the Italian language
  
• DVDs or Blu-ray discs of Italian-language films. (VHS tapes will not be accepted.)
  
• CDs of Italian music or music performed by Italian artists
  

Potential donors should familiarize themselves with these guidelines before donating items to the Library.

Individuals considering donating items to the Library should contact the ICC at library@theitalianculturalcenter.org, to discuss the proposed donation prior to bringing any items to the library.

Proposed donations to the Library will be provisionally accepted or declined at the discretion of the managers of the Library. The Library is not obligated to accept any proposed donation. 

Donors are responsible for transporting their donations to the Library. The Library will not pick up or arrange for the transport of any proposed donation.

All items donated to the Library should be in good condition (i.e., of such quality that one would not hesitate to give them to a friend). This means they should evidence minimal wear and tear and should not have been written or drawn in (although an inscription of the previous owner’s name at the front of the book is acceptable). 

Donated items provisionally accepted for inclusion in the Library may later be determined not to be appropriate. This may occur for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to:

• Condition of the item
  
• Duplication of an item already in the Library
  
• Incompatibility with the focus of the Library   
  

Donated items that are determined not to be appropriate for the Library will not be returned to the donor, but instead will be disposed of at the discretion of the managers of the Library. Disposition options include, but are not limited to, making the items available for free to members of the ICC or donating the items elsewhere (e.g., used book store, Goodwill). 

If a donor wishes to keep a record of the titles and/or value of the items donated, the donor should create such a list and/or valuation prior to giving the items to the Library. The Library will not provide a list of the donated items to the donor, nor will it place a monetary value on the items donated. The Library will, however, provide a letter of receipt acknowledging the donation, if requested by the donor.

The Library may also, if requested or permitted by the donor, recognize and record the donor’s gift with a brief note attached to the listing of the donated items in the Library’s online catalog. This note would provide a simple acknowledgement of the donor’s generosity by indicating that the item had been donated and by whom (e.g., “Donated by Società Dante Alighieri”).

These guidelines may be revised and updated as needed. 

If you have questions, comments or suggestions concerning the Library, please contact us at library@theitalianculturalcenter.org