The Documentation and Research Centre is one of the cultural  activities of Gruppo Abele, an NGO that started in Torino in 1966, and carries out its commitment not only by giving assistance and counselling to those who live difficult situations, but also by promoting initiatives in the cultural and social fields (such as a publishing house, periodicals, training courses ...). Its goal is to offer cultural instruments both to the professional and to the public and create real prospects of change, working together with other agencies.

The Documentation and Research Centre started its activity in 1975, with the aim of collecting and classifying documents (both Italian and foreign) in the fields of social isolation, prevention and assistance, an of developing political views and cultural tools as well.

Since 1980 the Centre has been open to the public and has been systematically collecting books, reviews and newspapers, documents (projects of intervention, seminar and conference proceedings, legal documents etc...), to make information and training instruments available to everyone who needs them.

At present the bibliographic database includes approximately 50.000 items, made of books (13.500), articles selected from more than 350 Italian and foreign reviews (30.000), miscellaneous documentation (11.000), fiction films (1.300), 250 degree theses.

The subjects covered by our database are:

- drugs and addictions

- young people, adolescents, minors

- homosexuality

- prison

- criminality

- prostitution   

- AIDS and HIV infection

- migration problems

- social professions and social policies

In addition to selecting and classifying documents, the Documentation Centre runs other activities, like promoting and developping social research, production of materials and counselling.

In the field of social research the Centre has worked out many studies with the main target to give instruments of evaluation and check of Italian interventions concerning social isolation and its prevention.

The Library of the Centre is open to the public 4 days a week (25 hours), offering a service of guided consultation and counselling.

Approximately 2.500 requests come to the Centre every year, mostly coming from students, social professionals, members of private associations, teachers, parents, journalists, other Documentation Centres.

Centro Studi Gruppo Abele

corso Trapani 91/B

10141 TORINO

tel. +39 11 38 41 053

fax +39 11 38 41 055

e-mail:centrostudi@gruppoabele.org

http://www.centrostudi.gruppoabele.org