Medieval & Renaissance Manuscripts
To make the library’s digitized medieval manuscript collection easier to navigate, we have added tags for material features with teaching value to the items’ HOLLIS records. Inspired by Teaching the Codex, an online pedagogical tool built by master's students of Oxford University’s Merton College, this project highlights features (like pricking and ruling, for example) that are valuable for educators and researchers.
These curated CURIOSity pages provide context for the tagged features using relevant collection items. The tags have been clustered into four categories: Binding, Pages, Content, and Decoration. See the table of contents below for an overview of the topics discussed and the tags included in each section.
Some tips for navigating the tagged manuscripts: while each tagged manuscript will contain the feature, some features may be challenging to spot in the digitizations. To ensure you aren’t missing any of the available images of partially digitized manuscripts, be sure to check out the HOLLIS record. Certain features (like gauffered edges and exposed cords) can be excluded or difficult to see in some digitizations. If you would like to see a feature more clearly, you can try requesting a scan or, if you are able to visit the library in person, consulting materials in the reading room.
The Binding section introduces the history of medieval bookbinding practices. After reading, you should have a grasp on basic bookbinding terminology, the materials used to bind books, and the basic construction of medieval books.
