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 ...).

The Documentation and Research Centre started its activity in 1975,  and since 1980 its specialised library has been open to the public. The centre has been systematically collecting books, periodicals and grey literature. At present the bibliographic database includes approximately 50.000 items, made of books (13.500), articles selected from more than 350 Italian and foreign periodicals (30.000), miscellaneous documentation (11.000), fiction films (1.300), 270 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 policies

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

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).

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, Documentazione e Ricerche del 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