Finding online manuscripts

I wrote about my frustration in being unable to locate manuscripts online, despite having the shelfmarks.  Of course I am not the only one to encounter this.  A kind correspondent has made me aware of a list of links which helps enormously.  Compiled by Albrecht Diem, at the Monastic Manuscript Project, it is here.  I shall add it to the sidebar.

I have tested this out with the list of manuscripts of Wilhelm v. Boldensele, in this post.  The result was that I located a couple more manuscripts online, which I have linked.

It was still back-breaking work.  After a few libraries, I gave up.  But it was definitely an improvement.

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5 thoughts on “Finding online manuscripts

  1. Glad you found Diem’s website useful (it is a great public service). I meant to say that for manuscripts in Germany, there is also this http://www.manuscripta-mediaevalia.de/#|4. It is a little clunky (my experience with the search function is patchy), but if you use ‘Bibliotheksorte’, you can then click through city, library, shelf-mark to the MS in which you are interested. Many of them don’t have any images, but (from memory) that is the best way to get the Philipps MSS in Berlin. Even where nothing of the MS has been digitised, often one can find a catalogue entry.

  2. Hope it is useful – I am always amazed that no one has done a sort of union catalogue for online MSS and that so many library websites make it so difficult to find them.

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