Digitalization of medieval manuscripts in the Rhenish bishoprics of Speyer, Worms and Mainz with in-depth indexing of the manuscripts in Worms and Speyer

• Applicants: Dr. Stephan Fliedner; Dr. Michael Hansen
• Subject Area: Medieval History
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 532733451

The aim of this project is the digitalization, in-depth indexing and online presentation of medieval manuscripts from archives, libraries and museums of the three middle-Rhenish episcopal cities Mainz, Speyer and Worms. Additionaly, it is planned to index 39 manuscripts from Worms and Speyer in greater depth and to document their watermarks. Its political, religious and economic top position made the Middle Rhine an outstanding region of manuscript production in the Middle Ages. Due to severe damage caused by modern age wars and the consequences of the French Revolution, the Speyer-Worms-Mainz book landscape is particularly confusing today. This is where the proposed project comes in, which aims to create opportunities to research overarching questions of cultural and traditional history via the digitalization of the medieval book inventory of public institutions in the cities of Mainz, Speyer and Worms and through the provision of image data in the public domain. The quantity structure includes 462 manuscripts with approx. 168,000 pages. The digital copies can be viewed using the DFG viewer and are available for free subsequent use via IIIF. The norm data-supported proof of the manuscripts is provided via the manuscript portal of the manuscript centers (https://handschriftenportal.de). The digital copies are presented through the Visual Library software system via the Gutenberg Capture portal of the UB Mainz (https://gutenberg-capture.ub.uni-mainz.de). The continuance of the results of this project is ensured by the UB Mainz through the long-term archiving of the produced data. The Mainz University Library is committed to the long-term safeguarding and provision of cultural heritage and guarantees free access to all digital copies and metadata created in the project in accordance with the Europeana Public Domain Charter. The digitalization project is to be supplemented by an in-depth indexing of the 39 manuscripts located in Worms and Speyer, which could only be considered in a small way according to the minimum requirements in the context of previous indexing projects. These manuscripts are examined codicologically, palaeographically and with regard to their origin history cataloged according to DFG guidelines. The watermark analysis is also supposed to be carried out here. Later on, the texts can be indexed in depth using the digital copies. The project is thus pursuing an innovative approach that focuses on the material of historical manuscripts, takes into account interdisciplinary holdings in libraries, archives and museums and also offers the opportunity to bring together the remains of historical collections.

• DFG Programme: Cataloguing and Digitisation (Scientific Library Services and Information Systems)
• Participating Institution: Bistum Mainz; Universität Leipzig; Universitätsbibliothek
• Co-Investigators: Dr. Christian George; Marko Knepper; Dr. Anne Lipp