Anthony Panizzi - Citizendia

Anthony Panizzi.

Sir Antonio Genesio Maria Panizzi (16 September 1797 – 8 April 1879), better known as Anthony Panizzi, was a naturalized British librarian of Italian birth and an Italian patriot. Events 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers Year 1797 ( MDCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Year 1879 ( MDCCCLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common A librarian is an information Professional trained in Library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest

Biography

Panizzi was born in Brescello in the province of Reggio Emilia, Italy, and obtained a degree in law from the University of Parma in 1818. Brescello is a Comune (municipality in the Province of Reggio Emilia in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 80 km northwest The Province of Reggio Emilia (Provincia di Reggio Emilia is one of the eight provinces of the Italian Region of Emilia-Romagna. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest In Parma, it is likely that he joined one of the secret patriotic societies which aimed to unite Italy as an independent country. Parma is a City in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna near Modena famous for its Architecture and the fine countryside around it Secret society is a term used to describe a variety of organizations Reggio Emilia was then ruled by Francesco IV, the Duke of Modena. Francis IV Joseph Charles Ambrose Stanislaus (Italian Francesco IV Giuseppe Carlo Ambrogio Stanislao d'Absburgo-Este; 6 October, 1779 - 21 January Panizzi then returned to Brescello where he practiced law and in 1821 became inspector of the town's schools.

In 1820, following a short lived revolution in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Francesco IV started to arrest and jail suspected patriots on trumped-up, flimsy charges. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ( Regno delle Due Sicilie) commonly known as just the Two Sicilies, was the name of a Kingdom in Europe. When in May 1822 the Duchy's Chief of Police, Giulio Besini, was assassinated, the tempo of arrests picked up, many were convicted, and a priest executed. Panizzi, tipped off that he also faced arrest and trial as a subversive, fled to Switzerland, where in 1823 he wrote and published a book decrying the repressive regime and trials against citizens of the Duchy of Modena. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Following the book's publication, he was indicted, tried, and condemned to death in absentia in Modena, and pressure was brought to have him expelled from Switzerland.

In May 1823, Panizzi moved to England, becoming a British subject in 1832. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Upon arrival in London, Italian poet in exile Ugo Foscolo gave him a letter of introduction to Liverpool banker William Roscoe and he moved to that city, where he made a meager living teaching Italian. Ugo Foscolo ( February 6, 1778 - September 10, 1827) was an Italian writer and poet William Roscoe ( March 8, 1753 - June 30, 1831) was an English Historian and miscellaneous writer In 1826 Panizzi met lawyer and political figure Henry Brougham and helped him in a difficult abduction case; when Brougham became Lord Chancellor of England, he obtained for Panizzi the Professorship of Italian at the newly-founded University of London and later a post at the British Museum Library. Henry Peter Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux (1778 - 1868 was a British Statesman who became Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor is a senior and important functionary in the Government of the United Kingdom. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. The University of London is a university based primarily in London, England, UK. The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London. Panizzi held a string of posts there: first Assistant Librarian (1831–37), then Keeper of Printed Books (1837-56) and finally Chief Librarian (1856–66). For his extraordinary services as a librarian, in 1869 he was knighted by Queen Victoria. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901 was from 20 June 1837 the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The British Museum library was, in fact, the national library of the United Kingdom in all but name; during Panizzi's tenure as Keeper of Printed Books its holdings increased from 235,000 to 540,000 volumes, making it the largest library in the world at the time. A national library is a Library specifically established by the Government of a country to serve as the preeminent repository of information for that country Its famous circular Reading Room was designed and built by architect Sydney Smirke from a sketch drawn by Panizzi. The British Museum Reading Room, situated in the centre of the Great Court of the British Museum, used to be the main reading room of the British Library Sydney Smirke ( 1798 - 8 December[[ 877]] was London born English Architect during the 19th century The new reading room opened in 1857. The British Museum library formed the bulk of what became the British Library in 1973 and the 'Round' Reading Room was in use until 1997 when the Library moved to its current site at St. Pancras. The British Library ( BL) is the National library of the United Kingdom.

During his tenure at the library, Panizzi was embroiled in many controversies, including a long term dispute with famous historian Thomas Carlyle. Thomas Carlyle (4 December 1795 – 5 February 1881 was a Scottish essayist satirist and historian whose work was highly influential during the Victorian era. While working on his history of The French Revolution, Carlyle had complained in a magazine article that "a certain sub-librarian" had not been very helpful to him, restricting access to uncatalogued documents held by the British Museum. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an Panizzi never forgot the slight and when Carlyle, then working on the biography of Cromwell, requested the use of a private room at the library for his researches, the request was predictably denied. Despite high levels complaints, Carlyle lost the argument and, miffed, he and his supporters (which included Queen Victoria's husband) started their own library, The London Library.

While at the library, Panizzi undertook the creation of a new catalogue, based on the "Ninety-One Cataloguing Rules" (1841) which he devised with his assistants. These rules served as the basis for all subsequent catalogue rules of the 19th and 20th centuries, and are at the origins of the ISBD of the 21st century and of digital cataloging elements such as Dublin Core. A library catalog (or library catalogue) is a register of all bibliographic items found in a Library or group of libraries such as a network of libraries The International Standard Bibliographic Description or ISBD is a set of rules produced by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA to describe The Dublin Core Metadata element set is a standard for cross-domain information resource description He also [enforced] the copyright system [received with the King's Library]. Copyright is a legal concept enacted by Governments, giving the creator of an original work of authorship Exclusive rights to control its distribution usually for [This], by law, [required] British publishers [to deposit with] the library a copy of every book printed in England.

Panizzi was a personal friend of British Prime ministers Lord Palmerston and William Gladstone, conducted an active correspondence with Sardinian, and later Italian Prime Minister Count Camillo Benso di Cavour, and through French archaeologist and writer Prosper Merimée, was well acquainted with French Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie. "Lord Palmerston" and "Henry Temple" redirect here Camillo Paolo Filippo Giulio Benso Conte di Cavour, Conte di Isolabella e Leri ( August 10 1810 &ndash June Prosper Mérimée ( September 28, 1803 &ndash September 23, 1870) was a French dramatist historian, archaeologist Napoléon III, also known as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (full name Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte) (20 April 1808 9 January 1873 was the first President Eugenie redirects here For other people called Eugenie see Eugenie (disambiguation Empress The last Empress of the French was born In 1844, Panizzi also assisted Giuseppe Mazzini, then in exile in London, by publishing an influential article denouncing the practice ordered by the Home Secretary of ordering Mazzini's private letters opened by the Post Office and giving copies of their contents to the Austrian Embassy. Giuseppe Mazzini ( June 22, 1805, Genoa, Italy - March 10, 1872, Pisa, Italy was an Italian Patriot He also orchestrated a visit of Giuseppe Garibaldi to England, and convinced Gladstone to travel to Naples to view personally the inhumane conditions in which political prisoners were kept. Garibaldi redirects here for other meanings see Garibaldi (disambiguation. Naples ( Napoli, Neapolitan: Nàpule) is a historic City in southern Italy, the Capital of the When his efforts to have these prisoners released failed, he raised money to buy a ship and mounted an expedition to rescue the prisoner from the island fortress of Santo Stefano in the Gulf of Gaeta. Gaeta is a city and Comune in the Province of Latina, in Lazio, central Italy. Unfortunately, the ship sank in a storm shortly after leaving England. In 1859, the prisoners were released by Neapolitan King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies and put on a ship bound for New York. Ferdinand II ( Ferdinando Carlo, January 12, 1810 &ndash May 22, 1859) was the King of the Two Sicilies from 1830 until Panizzi then mounted a new expedition led by his son, who commandeered the ship and made port in England, where the former prisoners received asylum and were assured support.

In addition to his English knighthood, Panizzi was given an honorary degree by Oxford University, the Légion d'Honneur from France, various chivalric honors from the Italian Government and Crown, and in 1868 was appointed as a senator in the Italian Parliament. He never took his seat there.

Panizzi died in London on April 8, 1879 and was buried in the Kensal Green Catholic Cemetery, not far from the resting places of William Makepeace Thackeray and Anthony Trollope. Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Year 1879 ( MDCCCLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common St Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery is located at Kensal Green in London. William Makepeace Thackeray (ˈθækərɪ 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863 was an English Novelist of the 19th century Anthony Trollope (April 24 1815 – December 6 1882 became one of the most successful prolific and respected English Novelists of the Victorian era.

Panizzi also prepared and published editions of Matteo Maria Boiardo's Orlando Innamorato and Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando Furioso. Matteo Maria Boiardo (c 1434 &ndash December 20, 1494) was an Italian Renaissance Poet. Orlando Innamorato ("Orlando in Love" is an Epic poem written by the Italian Renaissance author Matteo Maria Boiardo. Orlando Furioso ("The Frenzy of Orlando" more literally "Mad Orlando" in Italian furioso is seldom capitalized is an Italian

The Panizzi lectures are an annual series of bibliography lectures, hosted by the British Library since 1985. Bibliography (from Greek grc βιβλιογραφία bibliographia, literally "book writing" as a practice is the academic study of Books The British Library ( BL) is the National library of the United Kingdom. There is also a staff meeting room at the British Library called the Panizzi Room in his honour.

Biography

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Further reading