Medieval (and later) Manuscripts in Dutch Collections: Online and Digital!
akumler on Oct 15 2007 at 7:44 pm | Filed under: Doing research, General academic
The Koniklijke Bibliotheek (in the Hague) has recently launched a fantastic online resource for anyone interested in manuscripts held in Dutch collections. You’ll find it here: http://www.mmdc.nl/static/site/index.html
This database is searchable in a variety of ways and results include both catalog information and (in many cases) sample digitized pages. Even better (for those of us who don’t or barely read Dutch), all the information is provided in English.
One particularly helpful feature: search results are listed with a google map rendering of their relative locations. For anyone planning research abroad this is very helpful.
Here is the description of the database provided on the homepage for the project:
“This database contains descriptions of all medieval western manuscripts written in Latin script and produced up to c. 1550 now preserved in public and semi-public collections in the Netherlands. These include the collections of libraries, museums and archives, as well as the collections of monastic orders and some other private institutions that are open to researchers.”
The database is really exemplary. Let’s hope that it inspires much emulation!