ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the state-led reorganization of libraries throughout the grand duchy, and their opening to a widening public of readers. The library, founded by the bibliophile Antonio Magliabechi (1633-1714), opened to the public in 1747, and the Marucelli library opened in 1752. Peter Leopold, deeming these institutions somewhat old-fashioned, merged the more up-to-date Palatine Library (which brought together the Medici and Lorraine collections) with the Magliabechiana in 1771. The latest texts of political economy tended to be housed within the prince’s personal collection, where he made them available to his ministers. During the second half of the century, important grand ducal institutions such as the hospital of Santa Maria Nuova and the new Royal Museum of Physics and Natural History became repositories of specialized technical libraries, ensuring that practical knowledge was available to those who had the skills to exploit it.
