July 2022 - ArchiBiblio Biblioteca e Archivio Storico Istat

The Advanced Search feature: examples of use

19 July 202313 July 2022 by Michele Guerra

The Advanced Search is a precise search carried out in Istat Library Catalogue through the values contained in a selection of fields..
The search requires the following steps:

Activate the function by clicking the button at the top right of the home page (icon highlighted in the following image).

By selecting the icon the filters for “Advanced search” in Istat Library Catalogue will automatically open.

Using the drop-down menu in the first “Search Context” field, choose the “Catalogue” item to search among all the available documents, or choose the “Digital Library” item to search among digital documents only.

Using the drop-down menu in the “Library/System” field, choose whether to search for publications available in all Istat libraries, or narrow down the search to one or more selected libraries.

Below is a selection of possible filters to be activated in the search, using the appropriate fields:
Table of contents and summary
Author
Title
Subject
Publisher
Year of publication
Language

t these fields enter the values that will form the search criteria.
The values to be searched can be typed in or taken from the list of terms activated by clicking the arrow on the right.

For example, we search the entire catalogue, in all libraries, for publications of the author Giovannini Enrico (with term extracted from the list), years 2018 and 2019.

Click the “Search” button and get the list of results.

In addition, for each field, search options are available:

Exact: if the term is drawn from the list, the “Exact” option is automatically activated.

Contains: for example, by typing the term “abbigliamento) with the option “Contains” in the “Title” field, we obtain the list of publications whose titles contain the term “abbligliamento”.

Starts with: for example by typing the term “annali” (“annals”, in Italian) with the option “Starts with” in the “Title” field, we obtain the list of publications whose titles begin with “annali”: Annali dell’istruzione (Education Annals), Annali del Dipartimento di scienze statistiche (Department of statistics Sciences Annals), Annali di etica pubblica (Annals of public ethics), Annali di statistica (Annals of statistics), etc …

Does not contain: for example, by adding to the previous search of publications whose title begins with “annali”(“annals”) the search for the title that does not contain the term “statistica” (“statistics”), we exclude from the result the publications whose title begins with “annali” and contains the term “statistica”.

Ricerca avanzata Istat 7

When searching for values in multiple fields, the options AND, OR, NOT can be activated. By operating in AND, each bibliographic record found contains all the values set in the search. By operating in OR, each record found contains even only one of the values searched in one of the fields. To activate the option, click the icon on the right of the “Turn into a group” field.

For example, search for publications of authors Rey Guido Maria and Becchi Ada, setting the AND option.
Ricerca avanzata Istat 9

The publication in which Becchi and Rey are both authors (Becchi Ada first author and Rey Guido Maria co-author) is thus found.

Ricerca avanzata Istat dettaglio

Now search for the publications of authors Rey Guido Maria and Becchi Ada, setting the OR option.

Ricerca avanzata Istat 11

All the publications by Rey or Becchi, not necessarily co-authors, are thus found. A greater number of results are therefore present in the Results list.

Ricerca avanzata Istat 12

Returning to the Results list, the filters used in the last search are always displayed, to allow the user to add any filters or change conditions to the search just carried out. The “Clean” button located after the search fields allows to reset all previous search conditions.

Full text research in the Istat Digital Library: research in digital contents

19 July 202313 July 2022 by Michele Guerra

Istat Library has an extraordinary wealth of digitized documents.
The digitization in PDF / A format allows direct full text search in documents.

Activate the Digital Library function to search for these documents.
In addition to the free search based on metadata, which operates on the contents of the descriptive fields such as title, author, year of publication, publisher, SBN code, by checking the Full text search option in digital objects, the search works on all the terms contained in the PDF/A documents.
The search can be carried out on an exact phrase, by inserting double commas at the beginning and at the end of the text searched.
As a way of example, if we are looking for a document that contains the following sentence in the text: “salute della popolazione nelle regioni italiane”We get a monograph in return. To open the document, click on the item Digital object, then on the URL

Further, if we search in the text the sentence: “salute della popolazione nelle regioni italiane” using the browser’s “find” function we will find it on page 5 (the document totals 84 pages).
The search can be carried out on single words in the text, not necessarily adjacent, omitting to insert double quotes in the search string. For example, suppose we are looking for documents containing the following four words in the text: foreigners resident in Emilia Romagna. We obtain as a result 181 documents, each of which contains in the text all the words we have searched for, not necessarily written in the same sequence.
We can scroll through the list, select the documents we are interested in and reach the digital object in PDF format.
The search can be performed both on exact sentences and on single words contained in the text.For example, if we are looking for documents that contain in the text the exact phrases “foreign families” and “Italian citizenship” and the words Emilia Romagna and work

We obtain 8 documents as a result, each of them contains in the text the phrases and words we have searched for.

Istat censuses

28 July 202313 July 2022 by Michele Guerra

The first census of the Italian population was conducted in 1861, with no data on Rome and Venice, which were present in that of 1871.

Census rounds were held every ten years with the exceptions of 1891, due to financial difficulties, and 1941, due to the war. Another exception is the 1936 census, carried out only five years after the previous one following a legislative reform in 1930 that had modified its periodicity, which was then changed to every ten years and has remained unchanged until today.

The first census of industrial and commercial establishments (15 October 1927) was the first major survey of the structural characteristics of Italy’s production and distribution system, although it was limited to a few essential features of the industrial and commercial structure.

In the early 1930s, Istat planned two other censuses, the agricultural census and the population census.

The date for the agricultural census was set for 19 March 1930, but the completion of its processing and subsequent publication experienced difficulties and delays. In this regard, the head of the agricultural census and the forest register observes that ‘difficulties and inconveniences of various kinds connected with a census such as the farm census were well known, and therefore foreseen, so much so that it would not have been completed in 1930 and according to the questionnaire adopted had it not been for a series of surveys promoted, as is well known, for the 1930 world agricultural census by the International Institute of Agriculture’.

Things were different for the population census. The seventh population census was conducted on 21 April 1931 on the occasion of Rome’s anniversary.

‘We want that through the cold frame of the figures and the concise lines of the diagrams the mighty throb of this New Italy be felt everywhere’. These words by Mussolini were the viaticum for the eighth population census, also extended to the colonies and other Italian possessions. The new census, scheduled for 1936, was imposed by the legislative reform of 1930 that changed the cadence of censuses from every ten years to every five years.

As usual, the census was given great prominence through the press, cinema and radio. As in 1931, the 1936 census was accompanied by an extensive publicity campaign, including two short films by the Istituto Luce. To facilitate the census operations, a number of free travel passes were issued on the State Railways.

Luce B newsreel of 18 March 1936: Preparations for the Eighth General Census of the Italian Population

Istituto Luce Documentary of 21 April 1936: Census 21 April 1936

Between 1937 and 1939 the Institute carried out the second general census of industry and services.
Among the novelties of this survey is the collection of data on technological equipment, labour fluctuation and wages. However, the counting work is slowed down by the execution of the Jewish census, ordered by the General Directorate for Demography and Race (Demorazza) and carried out by prefects and mayors on 22 August 1938. Istat was requested to collaborate with the Demorazza for the elaboration of the survey model and the data counting and classification operations. Istat’s work ended in November of the same year.

Law 120 of 18 January 1934 scheduled several censuses for the period 1936 to 1948. These were the ninth (1941) and tenth (1946) general population census; the industrial and commercial census in the five-year periods between 1936 and 1941 and between 1946 and 1951; and an agricultural census between 1941 and 1946. The war did not allow the timetable to be adhered to, despite the preparation of preliminary operations.

At the end of the war, the provisional government, in agreement with the allied command, took action for an initial census of the population. The operation was carried out throughout the entire national territory, now liberated from the fascist government and Nazi occupation. It was not really a census but a survey to understand the state of part of the country; only the 38 liberated provinces were involved.

Censuses and Surveys for National Reconstruction, 1944

After the war

In the post-war period, in order to make up for the failure to carry out the above-mentioned censuses and because of the need to make an initial inventory of the country’s conditions, the Institute, together with the Ministry of Reconstruction, drew up a plan to carry out some extraordinary censuses by 1946. The request for funds from the Ministry of the Treasury, however, was rejected due to the poor results of the previous extraordinary censuses carried out by the Allied Control Commission for the central and southern provinces in October 1944. In fact, for budgetary reasons, the Institute was unable to carry out the censuses in the period between 1945 and 1951, although it had worked tirelessly to prepare them.

For the 1951 population census, a complete publicity campaign was carried out and a Commission for census propaganda was set up for the occasion, which included representatives of the ministries concerned, trade union organisations, state television (RAI), the Istituto Nazionale Luce and also “a representative of the ecclesiastical authority, due to the great importance and value of the support that can be given by parish priests and religious orders”.

In 1951, along with the population census, the first housing census and the third census of industry and commerce were carried out, with economic and time advantages resulting from the possibility of using the same organisation for the three surveys in the preparatory, collection, counting and analysis phases.

Finally, two commemorative stamps were issued, one for the population census and the other for the industrial and commercial census.

1961 can be defined as the year of the count of Italy. Three censuses were in fact carried out: the population and housing census, the industry and services census and the agriculture census. On the occasion of the surveys, the Istituto Luce produced two newsreels: one in black and white for the population census (La grande conta degli italiani) and another in colour (Il censimento del centenario). Due to the limited use of data from the previous agricultural census, the 1961 census is in fact the first general census of the primary sector.

A second agricultural census was also conducted in 1970 and, at the same time, but with a separate questionnaire, the first census of vineyards.

Television is used to publicise the 1971 censuses in order to gain a better knowledge of the socio-economic reality of the country and to illustrate how to fill in the survey sheets11.

In 1981, the general population census, the general housing census and the general census of industry, commerce, services and handicrafts were carried out, while the agricultural census was conducted in 1982. On the occasion of these surveys, Istat paid particular attention to communication aspects centred on two major campaigns, the advertising campaign and the opinion campaign, also making use of an advertising agency.

The 1981 population census marked a turning point in terms of data quality, introducing significant innovations that have been confirmed over time. For the first time, a sample survey was carried out to estimate the degree of coverage of the census survey, while, in order to facilitate the widest use of the census results, local authorities (regions, provinces and municipalities) were allowed to acquire individual data. Among the many uses of census data was an analysis of respondents’ daily movements, and particularly interesting was the research that led to the identification of local labour systems, an information system that continues to be updated.

Numerous innovations were introduced with the 1990 and 1991 censuses: for the first time, remote sensing was used to map and accurately document residential settlements including squatters. The main strategic lines in order to prevent coverage errors are: a) a more confidential communication approach to induce respondents’ involvement (television advertising, awareness-raising campaign, toll-free number, etc.); b) the strengthening of inspection activities; c) the use of a telematic system to monitor census operations; d) the revision of questionnaires at local level to shorten the time taken to disseminate census data.

The 2000s

The 2000s marked a turning point in the evolutionary path of Italian economic censuses, at the end of a cycle of innovation opened in 1994 with the start of the creation of the Statistical Archives of Active Enterprises (Asia), the Archives of Public Institutions (Asip) and the Archives of Non-Profit Institutions (Asimp).

A new survey technique was introduced that implies an advance on the traditional ‘door-to-door’ technique. Each surveyor was provided with a list of all active local units present. For each of these units, a customised questionnaire was produced, partially pre-filled with the information on file. Respondents were simply asked to update the survey questionnaire by adding missing information and correcting or confirming pre-printed information.

A number of innovations were also introduced for the Population Census to guarantee the quality of the data collected. Thanks to the involvement of solidarity and voluntary organisations, the Institute also managed to reach ‘difficult’ population targets, including immigrants. In order to overcome the mistrust of citizens and encourage greater participation, an integrated communication campaign was launched to promote the census on various levels. Both traditional and new media (internet) were used, as well as widespread information tools (from brochures to posters).

Even the logo of the census (reproduced alongside) is designed with a view to promoting greater participation where the word census and the ‘X’ that characterises it have the specific aim of evoking the idea of personal involvement emphasised by the slogan ‘The Italy you are, the Italy you will be’.

All the new censuses can be consulted on the internet through a data warehouse. Statistics were also brought to school desks with the intention of reaching the very young, taking the opportunity of the 2001 general censuses.

The 2010-2011 censuses were the first censuses to include the possibility of online compilation.

In the population census, almost 40 per cent of respondents were interviewed via the Internet, which allows for an extraordinary gain in timeliness of data publication. The integration of new and old is underlined by the advertising campaign:

‘Agriculture has changed, tell us how’, ‘Let’s gather answers, let’s sow the future’, ‘The Italy to come starts here’, ‘Census 2011: give answers to your future’. The style of the advertising campaign was also new, with a convoy of twenty-one vans ‘dressed’ in the census brand and colours travelling around the country to provide clarification on the many new features (the Census tour) and the Census points, dedicated to disseminating information on the Census at high-traffic locations such as stations, shopping centres and cinemas. To promote the Census, young people were approached with the ‘Ciak si conta’ initiative, which involved making commercials that were then published on YouTube and awarded prizes.

There were many new features on the population census questionnaire: there were questions on the energy efficiency of homes, the use of mobile phones and Internet connection.

Permanent Censuses

ISTAT was embarking on a new path: the season of permanent censuses was launched, with the implementation of sample and continuous surveys, at annual and triennial intervals.

The strategy of permanent censuses, in line with European development policies and Istat’s modernisation programme, is extended to all subject areas: population and housing, businesses, non-profit and public institutions, and agriculture.

Unlike the censuses of the past, permanent censuses only involve representative samples of businesses and institutions from time to time. However, the return to the country of the data obtained is census-like, thus referable to the entire field of observation.

By integrating administrative sources with sample surveys, in fact, it is possible to guarantee exhaustiveness, increase the quantity and quality of the information supply, contain the statistical burden on citizens and economic operators and reduce overall costs.

Pre-Unification Censuses

Population Census

Industry census

Agriculture Census

Pre-Unification Censuses

Population Census

Industry census

Agriculture Census

Istat President

18 June 202413 July 2022 by Michele Guerra

The President of the National Statistical Institute is appointed by decree of the President of the Republic on the proposal of the Prime Minister after deliberation by the Council of Ministers. The President is selected from among full professors of statistical, economic and related subjects; his term of office lasts four years and may be renewed once only.
He is the legal representative of the Institute with regard to issues of a general nature, oversees Istat’s performance and ensures its technical and scientific coordination. He attends to relations with institutions and international organisations. He verifies the implementation of guidelines expressed by the Governing Board, to which he reports periodically.

Istat President

(from 1926 to 1989 Central Institute of Statistics, then National Institute of Statistics)

Corrado Gini (Motta di Livenza 1884 – Rome 1965), statistician, sociologist, university professor, in office from 1926 to 1932
Franco Rodolfo Savorgnan (Trieste 1879 – Rome 1963), statistician, sociologist, university professor, in office from 1932 to 1943
Alberto Canaletti Gaudenti (Sirolo 1887 – Rome 1966), statistician, university professor, politician, Senator, Councilor of State, in office from 03/29/1945 to 1949
Lanfranco Maroi (Avellino 1889 – Rome 1974), economist, statistician, university professor, in office from 07/31/1949 to 1961
Giuseppe De Meo (Rome 1906 – Rome 1996), economist, statistician, university professor, in office from 1961 to 1980
Guido Maria Rey (Bologna 1936), economist, statistician, university professor, in office from 1980 to 1993)
Alberto Zuliani (Rome 1940), statistician, university professor, in office from 05/1993 to 2001
Luigi Biggeri (Bibbiena 1939), economist, statistician, university professor, in office from 2001 to 2009
Enrico Giovannini (Rome 1957), economist, statistician, university professor, Minister of Labour, in office from 08/04/2009 to 04/28/2013
Antonio Golini (Catanzaro 1937), statistician, university professor, in office from 13 June 2013 to 2014
Giorgio Alleva (Rome 1955), economist, statistician, university professor, in office from 2014 to 2018
Maurizio Franzini (Rome 1950), economist, university professor, in acting office since 08/2018 to 03/02/2019
Gian Carlo Blangiardo (Arona 1948), economist, statistician, university professor, in office from 4/02/2019 to 21/03/2023
Francesco Maria Chelli (1959), statistician, university professor, in acting office since 15/05/2023 to 05/2024, president from 30/05/2024

Learn more about the biographies, activities and publications of the Presidents

The funds in the Historical Archive

19 July 202313 July 2022 by Michele Guerra

The Historical Archive was established in 2001. It preserves the main types of documents produced by the Institute: official and administrative acts, methodological studies and researches, questionnaire models, statistical analyses, preparatory material for surveys, reports and project analyses of collegial bodies, brochures and press releases.
In order to establish the Historical Archive, first of all, all documentary material produced by Istat was collected, as well as the still existing documentation previously produced by the General General Statistics Departmentfor of the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Trade, which later merged with the Institute in 1926.
The filing intervention affected therefore the archival documentation of the Institute relating to the period from the origins of the activity up to 2002.

Data collection was carried out taking into consideration the type and method of preservation of the material examined: for example, for payment and collection orders, filing of the storage units was sufficient, which contain the individual documents sorted by year and issue number. In other series, on the other hand, it was appropriate to carry out a more analytical filing, by describing individual issues or groups of papers.

By examining the papers, it was found that Istat documentation was organized according to two previous classification systems, one presumably in force from the origins of the Institute until the end of 1946 and another that entered into force on January 1, 1947, applied until introduction of the new system in 1956.

The work of reconstructing and sorting the series led to the identification of two large sections in which the general archive was organized:

a collection of papers (both original and in copy) ordered according to a classification scheme by subject and by entity, which testifies to the activity of the Institute in its totality and entirety, regardless of the internal partitions of competence, called the Central Archive;
a collection of papers organized into funds corresponding to the various producer offices, structured in series according to criteria set by each office and functional to the performance of their tasks, called Local Archives.

There was therefore a double and parallel system for collecting and storing papers: documentation relating to a file could also be found preserved (at least in some of its parts) in both partitions.

The new organization of the archive since 1956 has resulted in the dismemberment some existing series, which have been brought to the arrangement suggested by the new classification scheme.
A comparative prospectus between the classification schemes from 1947 and the previous one was also found. Therefore, even if the original organization of some series, especially the oldest ones, has been lost, it is however possible to outline their structure at least virtually through this same prospectus.
Part of the documentation prior to 1956 had not been included in the new organization: these files have been placed within the series of documentary complexes belonging to the local archives.

Continue reading, deepen the Articulation of the Historical Archive.

Consult the funds cards in Istat Multimedia Historical Archive.

Istat annals

28 July 20237 July 2022 by archibiblio

The oldest statistics periodical still published. The annals collect papers on various topics since 1871, making it possible to reconstruct the history of official statistics and get to know the scientific and human profiles of many of those who founded it and made it grow. It contains reports, proceedings of seminars and conferences, institutional and international reflections, reports of commissions, essays, and statistical analyses, offering a picture of the country’s evolution from the first decades of nation-building to the present day, passing through periods of crisis, wartime events, and phases of reconstruction, with a careful look at history, science, but also at everyday life. Over the years, the series have changed with the succession of presidencies.

ISTAT Digital Library | Annals of Statistics

Series 1 vol. 6 (1875) – 88 (1877)

Series 2 vol. 1 (1878) – 26 (1881)

Series 3 vol. 1 (1882) – 16 (1885)

Series 4 vol. 1 (1884) – 111 (1910)

Series 5 vol. 1 (1912) – 11 (1925)

Series 6 vol. 1 (1931) – 38 (1937)

Series 7 vol. 1 (1937) – 7 (1943)

Series 8 vol. 1 (1947) – 30 (1980)

Series 9 vol. 1 (1981) – 10 (1991)

Series 10 vol. 1 (1993) – vol. 22 (2000)

Series 11 vol. 1 (2003) – 2 (2009)

Series 12 vol. 1 (2010) – 2 (2012)

Series 13 vol. 1 (2018) –