Interview to Chiara Faggiolani, author of the volume Il problema del tempo umano. Le biblioteche di Adriano Olivetti: storia di un’idea rivoluzionaria, Rome, Edizioni di Comunità, 2024. It discusses the figure of Olivetti (1901-1960) and the role he thought libraries could play. His ideas can be understood only if they are analyzed in the light of his civic commitment and in the broader context of his thinking about the design of the city and cultural infrastructure for leisure and the rise of social services and community development. His proposal was not understood by Italian society and its ruling class, perhaps because it came too early. Reviewing his story today is functional to a reflection on the present of our public libraries.