FAQs on the Bookshop - Official Information and Documentation Centre

It is a space open for the public to come into contact with the Senate. It is intended to provide answers to questions on the activity of the Senate. Brochures, leaflets, CD-ROM's and Senate promotional material are on free distribution in the Centre. A PC station is available to consult the data-banks of the Senate and a selection of institutions. Moreover, the InformEduc@tion Centre staff is ready to assist users and give them explanations on plenary and committee business. Finally, at the InformEduc@tion Centre the public can by parliamentary records and papers, as well all other publications specially printed by or for the Senate.

The main records and papers that can be bought are:

• Summary and verbatim reports of plenary and committee sittings;
• Bills and relevant reports;
• Plenary agendas;
• Committee weekly agendas;
• Investigation committee records;
• Documents (different records and papers of parliamentary concern tabled in or sent to the Senate, divided in series marked by Roman numerals).

In Rome, Via della Maddalena, 27.

Monday-Friday from 9.00 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.

The InformEduc@tion Centre of the Senateis closed during recess. In addition, it may be closed in cases in which it is temporarily necessary to interrupt public service.

The InformEduc@tion Centre of the Senateis open to the general public: young people and teachers asking for general information as well as students and professionals looking for more specific and detailed information. Foreign visitors can find brochures on the activity of the Senate in English and French.

Access is free. No reservation, form filling or personal identification are required.

Yes. Special information publications are available for free at the InformEduc@tion Centre.

Yes, debates in the Main Chamber of the Senate are broadcast live on screens via satellite, provided no educational activities are under way. In order to attend sittings from the public gallery, booking is required (see how)

The Catalogue of Publicationsprinted by or for the Senate is available on line on the Senate website.

Users can find the publications that can be bought in the InformEduc@tion Centre and their prices, the pdf-format publications available on the website and the electronic-format publications available on request.

Publications can be bought:

a) personally, at the Senate InformEduc@tion Centre (Via della Maddalena, 27)

b) ordering them by mail (same address as above), phone (+ 39 06 6706 2505), fax (+ 39 06 6706 3398), or e-mail (libreria@senato.it) and paying them with:

• a bank transfer to the "Senato della Repubblica-Centro informazioni" account (bank: BNL - branch office: Agenzia del Senato - IBAN: IT 57 I 01005 03373 000000006828)
• a deposit on "Senato della Repubblica - Libreria" post account nr. 76339001.

The ordered items will be shipped once payment, including mailing charges, has been received.

Yes, on the "Novità editoriali" page of the Senate website the publications issued since 1^st January 2003 can be found in pdf format with free downloading.

The publications issued before 2003 are scanned and provided in pdf format upon request addressed to the Senate InformEduc@tion Centre by mail (Centro di In-Form@zione -Libreria del Senato, Via della Maddalena, 27, 00186 Roma), phone (+39 06 6706 2505), fax (+39 06 6706 3398) or e-mail (libreria@senato.it).

Yes. A PC station is available in the InformEduc@tion Centre to consult the parliamentary records and papers from the 13th Parliament, while the operations of scanning of the documents of previous Parliaments in pdf format and publication on the website are currently under way.

The records and papers that can be found on the Senate website can be purchased as prints from the website (see terms and conditions on the website).

The records and papers that cannot be found yet on the Senate website can be purchased on request as photocopies charged € 0,10 per page.

Since 1st January 2007, the prices of parliamentary records and papers that can be found on the Senate website have been:

Photocopies and other prints from the website are charged € 0,10 per page.

Parliamentary records and papers can be consulted and freely downloaded from the Senate website or have them printed for sale by the InformEduc@tion Centre staff.

Parliamentary records and papers can be ordered writing to the InformEduc@tion Centre, where they can be paid and taken, or by which they can be sent once paid through bank or post transfer.

The PC station in the InformEduc@tion Centre can be used for researches on a selection of institutional websites for a time compatible with the consultation requirements of other users and the educational activities that take place in the Centre.

Yes, at a price of € 0,10 per page.

No, it is not possible to leave documents or letters at the InformEduc@tion Centre to be delivered to Senators, but it is possible to write to Senators by ordinary mail (Senato della Repubblica - Piazza Madama - 00186 Roma) or e-mail (see addresses on the individual Senators' website pages).

Taking part in mock-sittings is connected to attending plenary debates. The relevant request must be sent to the Senate Security and Protocol Department (VisitealSenato@senato.it).

During the educational activities that take part in the InformEduc@tion Centre school children have an opportunity to play the role of Senators reading scripts based on historic debates of the Senate and become acquainted with parliamentary procedures and practice, in some cases following debates on the screen.

For further information and explanations, contact the Institutional Communications Office - Educational Activities (+39 06 6706 3740).