Among the core aims of the Foundation are: “the promotion and organization of research, study, documentation, and dissemination in the field of historical studies,” in Italy as well as abroad (1st Article of the Charter).
The Foundation furthermore publishes prolifically, overseeing three book series for publishers Lacaita and Angeli. It has a large Archives at its disposition and a specialized Library with more than a hundred thousand volumes. Both the archives and the library are open for public use.
The Foundation works towards promoting its documentary collection and patrimony for the use of the public, also through the use of IT.
The library houses circa 115,000 books, and collects 5,170 past periodicals and 150 current periodicals. This large collection is dedicated to the specialized study of political culture and social history, as well as to the preservation of sources belonging to representatives of Italian political life and culture, such as Agazzi, Arfé, Bassi, D’Aragona, Della Mea, Di Nolfo, Finocchiaro, Lombardi, Mondolfo, Saragat, Silone, Zagari.
The Filippo Turati Foundation for Historical Studies is joined with the Sistema Bibliotecario Nazionale (SBN; Italian network of libraries) under the division of the National Central Library of Florence and participates in the SDIAF (Sistema Documentario Integrato dell’Area Fiorentina).
The archives collects 3,890 correspondence envelopes, more than 4,700 manifesto’s, more than 20,000 photographs, 1,500 audiovisual and auditory materials, and 650 relics and flags, for a total of around 4 milion documents. It is divided in eight sections: 1. Organizzazioni politiche (Political organisations): Acp-Mpl; Mgs-Fgsi; Psdi-Direzione nazionale (Italian Socialist and Democratic Party – National movement); Psi -Direzione nazionale (Italian Socialist Party – National movement); 2. Esponenti politici tra la fine dell’Ottocento e il periodo fascista (Political representatives between the end of the 19th century and the Fascist period): C. Biserni, A. Della Seta, E. Ferri, U. Forlani, G. Matteotti, G. Pilati, G.M. Serrati, C. Treves, F. Turati; 3. Dirigenti sindacali (Union directors): A. Altobelli, L. D’Aragona; 4. Emigrazione antifascista (Antifascist emigration): G. Faravelli, O. Gorni, B. Pittoni; 5. Resistenza (Resistance): C. Bonfantini, M. Coli, E. Dugoni, L. Porzio; 6. Esponenti politici dal secondo dopoguerra ad oggi (Political representatives from after WWII to the present): A. Banfi, E. Bassi, M. Ferri, G. Ferro, L. Lagorio, R. Lombardi, A. Menchinelli, A. Pertini, G. Saragat, P. Treves, G. Vassalli, M. Zagari; 7. Esponenti della politica e della cultura (Politcal and cultural representatives): E. Agazzi, G. Arfè, L. Della Mea, G.L. Luzzatto, R. e U.G. Mondolfo, I. Silone; 8. Raccolte miscellanee (Miscellaneous collections): Emigrazione socialista in Svizzera (Socialist emigration in Switzerland) , Movimento operaio e socialista in Toscana (Labour and socialist movement in Tuscany), Movimento operaio e socialista in Italia (Labour and socialist movement in Italy), Movimento studentesco e sinistra extraparlamentare (Student and extraparliamentary leftist movement), Federazioni provinciali e sezioni del Psi, Sfio, Ugt (Provincial federations and sections of Psi, Sfio, Ugt), Manifesti (Manifesto’s), Bandiere (Flags), Audiovisivi (Audiovisual), Fotografie (Photographs).
The Foundation looks after its collection by making use of GEA software.
The Foundation works in partnership with CESP, Centro Espositivo “Sandro Pertini” and has a study centre dedicated to Sandro Pertini at Casa Lapi. The Foundation also sponsors the virtual “Archivi del Socialismo” (Socialism Archives) together with CESP.
The Foundation works together with the Senate of the Republic of Italy on the cultural project “Archivi on-line” in order to support the preservation and promotion of archival documents through the availability of these sources in one, single virtual archives.
