Digitisation of a historical core collection: The „Stadtarchiv Mainzer Zeit“ in the Stadt- und Stiftsarchiv Aschaffenburg (Archives of the town and monastery of Aschaffenburg)

• Applicant: Dr. Joachim Kemper
• Subject Area: Early Modern History
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 471297867

The project’s aim is to digitise a central historic holding, the so-called „Stadtarchiv Mainzer Zeit“ (SMZ), which is kept in the Stadt- und Stiftsarchiv and thus make it accessible and known to researchers. Since November 2020, the applicant institution is systematically describing the holding according to archival standards (around 2 500 to 3 000 units and descriptive entries). The „Stadtarchiv Mainzer Zeit“ is to be considered as unique historic collection of supra-regional importance. By the end of the project, the entire source corpus, which is important for numerous research questions, especially related to early modern history, will then be made accessible via supra-regional digital platforms, such as DDB and Archivportal-D. The planned digitisation within the framework of the project will not only focus on an archival „backbone collection“ of the Stadt- und Stiftsarchiv with its many references to other collections of Electoral Mainz, but in addition the serial sources can also be used and researched much more effectively. In accordance with the considerable importance of Aschaffenburg as a former residence of Electoral Mainz and in view of the unfamiliarity of the archival material, it can be assumed that user interest will increase significantly in the future. In the future, the holding will form an important element in the context of transmitting the written heritage of Electoral Mainz for an improved networked and coordinated presentation of the Mainz holdings in various German archives. A concluding workshop will not only contribute to providing information about the project itself and its results but will also help serve to further the networking of researchers and institutions responsible for the preservation of the holdings related to Electoral Mainz.

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