The Milan Public Reading Library System (SBM) is an information and service network co-ordinated by the Libraries Area of the Culture Directorate of the City of Milan. It consists of 24 district libraries, the central library at Palazzo Sormani and the Bibliobus. The network is completed by a number of repositories that, for reasons of space or use, are not located in sites open to the public. Distributed throughout the city, the SBM libraries are open from Monday to Saturday and provide free bibliographical and community information, services for children and young people, internet stations, wifi, an online library, cultural activities for adults and young people, reading groups, equipped study and reading spaces, as well as a heritage of newspapers and magazines, books and multimedia, digital resources and databases, historical and manuscript collections from the 16th to the 20th century. Libraries promote free access to knowledge and information, regardless of gender, social status or religious beliefs. They develop specific projects and initiatives to promote reading, encourage active participation, foster dialogue while respecting cultural diversity and interaction with the local area and associations, and contribute to consolidating a sense of belonging to a community.
