Digitalization, extended short-cataloguing and Web-presentation with structural data of manuscripts in the University Library Giessen formerly belonging to the library of Butzbach St. Markus convent

• Applicant: Dr. Peter Reuter
• Term: from 2019 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 429106001

The University Library Giessen owns more than 2.400 manuscripts. About 450 of these manuscripts are dating in the medieval from 9th to 15th century.221 of these medieval manuscripts are the largest single inventory, formerly the library of the brothers of Butzbach St. Markus convent (1469-1555) in the Wetterau region. They predominantly date back to 15th century. There is an index available consisting of two printed manuscript catalogues that are also accessible online in Manuscripta Medievalia. The index is compliant with DFG guidelines for manuscript cataloguing. A few additional manuscripts from other special collections of the University Library with a strong relation regarding content will also be included.This inventory is unique in many aspects. It is the only known manuscript collection that is nearly complete and preserved coherently at a singular location as part of a library for theological studies „Brüder vom gemeinsamen Leben“. The ensemble value is extraordinary. As outstanding part it contains the entire hidden library of Gabriel Biel († 1495) with about 70 manuscripts. Biel was cathedral dean in Mainz, first prior in Butzbach and later founding member of Tübingen University. He is often considered as the „last scholastic“. By an order of landgrave Ludwigs IX. of Hessen-Darmstadt the manuscripts were transfered to Giessen in 1771.The digitalisation and online presentation of 223 Butzbach manuscripts, their bundled incunables and pulped covers is the main goal of the requested project. The digitalisation will be conducted with a camera-based approach to preserve the materials as best as possible. In addition, a conservational examination and smaller restoration works will be performed.Catalogue records for the manuscripts and incunables as well as their digital representations will be created based on existing descriptions. They will be visible in the HeBIS Union Catalogue and in the emerging manuscript portal. The catalogue records will inculde new findings and authority records. The existing catalogue from 1980 has to be crosschecked with the new catalogue from 2004. Additional structural content data will be created because the volumes mostly contain more than 470 pages and often more than 20 individual texts.The holdings are distributed among the special collections of the University Library because they are thematically arranged. With the requested digitalisation the volumes can be virtually united for the first time. For researchers quick and easy access to an unique collection with an outstandig relevance regarding theologic and book-historic questions on the eve of the Gutenberg galaxy and the reformation can be provided.

• DFG Programme: Cataloguing and Digitisation (Scientific Library Services and Information Systems)