Davis Library maintains a research-level collection for the study of Italian language and literature of all periods. The collection of nineteenth-century materials is probably the strongest. Specific strengths of the collection are Dante, Petrarch, D'Annunzio, and Pirandello. The Library acquires selectively new fiction and literature from Italy.

Most of the Italian collection is now in the Library of Congress classification system, but a small portion remains in Dewey. Many older editions of classic writers, including English translations, will be found in the Dewey collection. The literature collections are housed in Davis.

An estimate of the number of titles and volumes in the collection appears below:

In terms of age of the collection, the Italian collection is probably not as old as some of the other language collections. Since the late 1970s, however, the Italian collection has been enlarged by regular antiquarian purchasing and the addition of several large en bloc purchases.

The print collections are supplemented by several important microfilm collections and research tools. A collection of approximately 150 Italian video cassettes support the study of Italian cinema and culture. In addition, important research materials in Italian are available from the Center for Research Libraries.