Digitisation and scholarly cataloguing of manuscripts of the Bibliotheca Amploniana in Erfurt University Library (2nd period)

• Applicants: Gabor Kuhles; Dr. Anne Lipp
• Subject Area: Early Modern History ; German Medieval Studies (Medieval German Literature) ; Art History ; Medieval History ; History of Science
• Term: since 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 429039761

979 manuscripts survive from the Bibliotheca Amploniana, the library of the Collegium Porta Coeli of the ancient University of Erfurt. They form a monument of singular importance for the intellectual history of the late Middle Ages. The collection goes back to the donation of 633 manuscripts, including an important group of medical works, by the founder of the college, Amplonius Rating de Berka (d. 1435), physician to the prince archbishop of Cologne. These manuscripts, dating from the 9th to the 15th century, do not only form the most extensive book collection of a medieval scholar that is still kept together, but also the richest holdings of a college library from this time. They are not only important because of the texts they contain (many of them in unique copies), but also because of the materiality of the manuscripts, which provide evidence of singular importance on the early universities in France, Italy, England and Germany and, through their provenances, allow us a rare glimpse into the networks of learning spread across late-medieval Europe. Since a catalogue published in 1887 by Wilhelm Schum no longer satisfies modern research needs, the DFG supported between 2007 and 2013 the creation of more complete lists of contents in Manuscripta Mediaevalia for 324 manuscripts, primarily those containing texts on medicine or natural philosophy. The constantly high research interest in this collection underlines the urgency of presenting the Bibliotheca Amploniana according to the standards of the 21st century, thus through complete digitisation and a new scholarly catalogue. In a first project period, 317 manuscripts were to be digitized and made accessible online (via IIIF). As of today, 377 volumes have already been digitized. By the end of the first phase in the fall of 2022, another 96 volumes will probably be added, which means a considerable extent. In the second project phase applied for here, the digitization of a further 469 manuscripts is to be applied for, with which the entire holdings of the Amploniana will be thoroughly digitized. In the first phase of the project, in-depth cataloguing should be carried out on 118 medical manuscripts. Due to corona-related delays, this work cannot be completed as requested. Therefore, 37 volumes of the initial project schedule are to be transferred to the second phase applied for here. In addition, another 14 medical and 60 theological manuscripts are to be catalogued in-depth. The cataloguing work will be carried out in accordance with DFG guidelines under the direction of the Leipzig Manuscript Center and distributed between Erfurt and Leipzig. The results of the in-depth cataloguing will be made available continuously via the German manuscript portal; the manuscript descriptions of the medical segment will be bundled in a final catalogue publication with introduction and indexes. A project-specific workshop will serve the exchange with the scientific target communities.

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