Vinyl Listening Room

From February 14 2025, on the second floor of the library.

Vinyl offers something unique: a tangible experience. It is not just music, but a ritual. Choosing a record, sliding it out of its sleeve, carefully placing it on the turntable, letting the needle drop: every gesture is imbued with attention. The familiar initial crackle, the warm sound that envelops the space, and the physical consistency of the record in one's hands amplify an experience that goes beyond the notes. In an increasingly digital and immaterial world, vinyl reminds us of the value of contact, of dedicated time, and of an authentic connection with what surrounds us.

The Vinyl Listening Room, with a focus dedicated to 10 and 12-inch formats, is a space conceived to promote music recorded on vinyl as an art form, encourage the discovery of musical tradition, enhance the value of the record heritage, and celebrate the time dedicated to listening. It is designed to offer the highest sound quality for ambient listening, thanks to professional acoustic treatment and a high-level Hi-Fi system.

Open to everyone, it welcomes enthusiasts, the curious, and scholars, inviting them to explore a vast collection of vinyls in their original listening form.

The room was born within the framework of Bologna UNESCO City of Music and was realized thanks to the generous donation of the vinyl collection of the Santonastaso family, in particular of the brothers Carlo and Mario. To this original core, the vinyls of artists and labels operating in the area are being added through constant donations, further enriching the collection with the most current local productions.

The room, on the second floor of Biblioteca Salaborsa, can be used by reservation only and is not accessible to people in wheelchairs.

From April 24, 2026, Vinyl Listening Room 2 is open and accessible to people in wheelchairs.