Medieval Manuscript Cataloging and the MARC Format

Abstract

In the special collections departments of most American libraries, medieval manuscripts are both the jewels and the orphans of the collection. When placed on exhibition they draw crowds of fascinated viewers, and the greeting cards and exhibition catalogs provided by those institutions that can afford to reproduce manuscripts in this fashion find ready purchasers. Even in the smallest, most remote libraries, the local Book of Hours, however modest in execution, remains the treasure to be brought out for the pleasure of distinguished visitors. Yet few libraries can afford specialized curators for their medieval manuscripts, and most manuscript librarians, who are . . .