Alla ricerca del bibliotecario repubblicano: logiche e pratiche di reclutamento nell’Italia Cisalpina (1797-1802)

The aim of this paper is to analyse the logic and practice of recruiting republican employees in revolutionary Italy using the case of librarians working in public institutions. How was the aspiration to democratise access to the library’s cultural heritage reflected in the choice of public servants? To address this question, the essay analyses a large corpus of texts drafted by the administration between 1796 and 1802. The findings suggest that the need to pacify the social sphere prevailed over the process of professionalisation begun in the eighteenth century, despite the ideological considerations developed by the new regime.