Unique and Universal: Challenges for the Manuscript Librarian

European Manuscript Librarians Expert Group, 7th Conference
The Library of Trinity College Dublin, 25-27 May 2016

The unique character of manuscripts and the universal content, the universal interest and the universal responsibility gave the frame and the opportunity for 14 colleagues to present their papers and to enter into discussion about their work and their ideas. All papers had in common a very practice-oriented approach. Thus the conference was very much dedicated to those themes which in all European Manuscript Departments are regarded as important for today’s works as well as for future developments.

Commemorations and Anniversaries
The conference started with three presentations by colleagues of the TCD and from the United Kingdom and Norway which gave a broad overview of ongoing work in the libraries.

• Estelle Gittins (Library TCD), ‘Ireland’s Decade of Commemoration: Marking 1916 in the Library of Trinity College Dublin’

Link: http://www.tcd.ie/Library/1916/

• Jennifer Edmond (TCD), ‘CENDARI: what next?’

Link: http://www.cendari.eu/
Presentation slides

• Jane Ohlmeyer (TCD), ‘The 1641 Depositions: what now?’

Link: http://www.1641.tcd.ie/

• Claire Breay (British Library), ‘Commemorating the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta in 2015’
• Rebecca Boxler Ødegaard and Bente Granrud (National Library of Norway), ‘A decade of writer's commemorations - and what we have learned’

Presentation Slides
Text Boxler Ødegaard
Text Granrud

• Matthew Shaw (Institute of Historical Research, London), ‘Europeana 1914-1918 and creating a digital collective memory’

Link: http://www.europeana1914-1918.eu/
Presentation Slides

Materiality
The next papers dealt with the materiality of manuscripts. After two presentations from the TCD colleagues from the Netherlands, Denmark, and the United Kingdom informed about ongoing research with the manuscripts themselves.

• Bernard Meehan (Library TCD), ‘The Faddan More Psalter’

Link: http://www.museum.ie/Archaeology/Exhibitions/Current-Exhibitions/The-Treasury/Gallery-1-Iron-Age-to-12th-Century/Gallery-2-The-Faddan-More-Psalter-(1)/Context-and-Significance

• Susie Bioletti (Library TCD), ‘Early Results from the “Early Irish Manuscripts” Project’

Link: http://www.tcd.ie/Library/early-irish-mss/

• Ad Leerintveld (Koninklijke Bibliotheek, Netherlands), ‘Authenticating the coat of arms in a Gruuthuse manuscript’
  

Presentation slides
Text Leerintveld

• Birgit Vinther Hansen (Kongelige Bibliotek, Copenhagen), ‘Exhibition and fading of manuscripts: microfadometry and a lighting policy to increase exposure and reduce risk’
  

• Nicholas Pickwoad (University of the Arts, London), ‘Ligatus: the importance of bindings and their description’

Link: http://www.ligatus.org.uk/

Post-digital Issues and Concerns
The conference ended with papers and discussion about the future of manuscript librarians work and the challenges and chances for scholars and the work with digital material. The papers were given by colleagues from the United Kingdom and from Germany.

• Matthew McGrattan (Bodleian Library Oxford), ‘International Image Interoperability Framework and Bodley’
  

• Allen Packwood (Churchill College, Cambridge),‘The Churchill Papers: a modern historical epic’

Presentation slides
Text Packwood

• Gerhard Müller (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin): ‘Understanding Archival Metadata and Shaping Perspectives on the Benefits of Standards beyond the Simple Search’