Shortly before Christmas, nearly 35,000 books from the Pontifical Institute of Ecclesiastical Studies, which was located in Rome until the end of 2024, were delivered to the Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan. In 2024, the religious authorities were forced to close this institution for financial reasons.
"Yes, it sounds like craziness - and it was!" - says Przemysław Raczyk, PhD student from the AMU School of Language and Literature. In October, we discovered that the Pontifical Institute of Ecclesiastical Studies in Rome was shutting down its operations. The authorities of the Institute asked us: ‘Perhaps you might be willing to take some books?' There could only be one answer - of course! Only later did we find out that they meant the entire library."
According to the AMU Vice-Rector for International Cooperation, Prof. Rafał Witkowski, "Among scientific institutions operating in Rome, the AMU was particularly associated with the Pontifical Institute of Ecclesiastical Studies, which an AMU graduate had directed, Rev. Dr Hieronim Fokciński SJ, since 1971. Over the years, the employees of the Institute of History/ Faculty of History (and others) have repeatedly completed internships and queries at Rome's Institute, pursuing research projects related to the history of the Polish lands and Polish people in Italy, says Prof Witkowski. - In recognition of Pontifical Institute of Ecclesiastical Studies connections with AMU, Rev. Prof. Robert Danieluk, the director of Pontifical Institute of Ecclesiastical Studies, offered to donate the library collection to the University free of charge. Prof. Robert Maryks of the AMU Faculty of Polish and Classical Philology reviewed the academic reference book collection of approximately 35,000 volumes and prepared photographic documentation. The results of his work were consulted with Dr Małgorzata Dąbrowicz, Director of the University Library (BUP), and the staff of the BUP.
Following cost estimates for the preparation of the book collection for transport and a survey of transport and logistical possibilities, four doctoral students from the AMU School of Language and Literature: Małgorzata Woźniak, Przemysław Raczyk, Adrian Sadowski and Łukasz Skrobała, travelled to Rome, where they worked for nearly a week. A transport company prepared 33 pallets and brought them to Poznan shortly before Christmas. It is the largest gift the AMU has received in 2024. Since the first days of the new year, employees of the BUP and faculty libraries have begun sorting and processing the Roman gift."
