[Scriptoris] Medieval Manuscripts in Dutch Collections

[Hillary Greenslade]

Check it out, another cool website, Hillary 
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  Medieval manuscripts in the Netherlands on the web

www.mmdc.nl

The Hague, September 21 - Today all medieval manuscripts in the  
Netherlands are available on the website Medieval Manuscripts in  
Dutch Collections (MMDC), www.mmdc.nl. The website provides a portal  
to a database with short, uniform descriptions and photographs of all  
medieval manuscripts in the Netherlands, about 6000 items in all. Jos  
Biemans, Special Professor of Medieval Manuscript Studies launched  
the website today in the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, by making the first  
click on the homepage.

Medieval snapshot
Medieval manuscripts provide a fascinating snapshot of the cultural  
and intellectual life of this period. Until now, information about  
these manuscripts and the related knowledge and expertise was  
dispersed, but MMDC brings all of this material together. MMDC has  
been set up by the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the university libraries  
of Leiden, Amsterdam, Utrecht and Groningen, and the  
Atheneumbibliotheek Deventer and it is partly financed by the  
Netherlands Organisation for Scientific  Research (NWO).

One website for all manuscripts MMDC is focussed on creating  
possibilities for progressive research based on medieval manuscripts,  
by building a database with uniform descriptions, digital images and  
links to facsimile editions and subject-specific websites. This way,  
all the disseminated information about medieval manuscripts in the  
Netherlands has been brought together and made available through one  
database. To benefit international use, all information is published  
in English.

Virtual platform
The website also contains more information on medieval books in the  
Netherlands. This website will function as a virtual platform for  
researchers and students in palaeography, art history, philology and  
other fields. Visitors will find an overview of all Dutch  
institutions with medieval books, along with information on the  
history of the collections, contact information and procedures of  
requesting manuscripts. The website also contains digital versions of  
several key out-of-print books about medieval manuscripts and an  
illustrated overview of medieval script.