Rare Books Research Articles

Conservation-Restoration Treatment of Oriental Manuscripts Aṭ-ṭāriqa al-Muḥammadiyya

This paper represents the conservation-restoration process of the oriental manuscript in the Turkish language, Aṭ-Ṭāriqa al-Muḥammadiyya. The manuscript is stored in the library of the Tekke Mesudija which has very important old and rare book materials, among which oriental manuscripts hold a special place. The goal of the restoration was to restore the functionality of the binding and preserve the texts. The restoration treatments included: mechanical and chemical cleaning of the pages, repairing a missing portion of a page with Japanese paper, sewing the forms into the bookblock, embroidering the endband, and restoring the original covers. Conservation-restoration documentation with a proposal on the handling and preventive conservation of manuscripts was also prepared.

Developing publishing industry in Turkestan at the turn of the 20<sup>th</sup> century

The authors attempt the comprehensive study of developing publishing industry in the Turkestan region after accession to the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19-th century. The study is based on the periodicals, research papers, archival materials related to the period under study. The authors summarize information on the first printing houses, bookstores and their owners in the materials available from the rare book and manuscript collections of the National Library of Uzbekistan, the Fundamental Library of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the Central State Archive of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The authors emphasize that despite private publishing houses and printing houses were then established in Turkestan, the book publications by government institutions, departments, scientific and cultural societies prevailed. The authors conclude that the enhancement of the publishing industry in the end of the 19-th century was stipulated by the increasing population demand for printed products, as well as by the increasing demand for printed advertising products owing to the growth of industry and trade. The authors describe the evolution of the book distribution system within the socio-economic and cultural processes in the regional in society. The authors argue that the book distribution in the region combined with the principles of entrepreneurship and enlightenment, while the involvement of the regional administration in the management of this industry was insignificant.

Primary Source Instruction in Theological Libraries Through Rare Book Collections

This paper addresses how students perceive primary sources instruction in the credit-bearing information literacy labs and explores the implications of this pedagogical practice on the development of students’ understanding of research. Through collaboration with the course instructor, library labs instructor, and Chief Librarian, the students visited the Rare Book Room and interacted with the rare and unique material as part of their course curriculum. The authors completed a thematic analysis of students’ reflections, exploring the impact of this visit on their research journey and their perceptions of how primary source instruction has impacted their understanding of other topics covered in the course. The authors share their lessons learned and recommendations for those who would like to adopt a similar practice at their institutions.

E-Preservation of Old and Rare Books: A Structured Approach for Creating a Digital Collection

Antique books, old and rare documents are fragile and vulnerable to different hazards. Preserving them for an extended period is a real challenge. From ancient times people started expressing their knowledge by writing and keeping records and subsequently started collecting and storing these at later ages as antique materials. These can be seen in different museums, libraries, archives, individual households, and other places all over the world. Preserving and conserving these antique, old and rare books, documents etc. in good condition is a challenge for librarians, conservators, preservation administrators or persons associated with storing these. In this paper, details of the digital preservation of such a collection available in the Directorate of Historical and Antiquarian Studies (DHAS), Guwahati, Assam, India, are discussed. DHAS is a Government of Assam wing and is mainly mandated to collect, preserve and research historical and antiquarian resources. The collection of DHAS is one of the oldest collections and has been serving as a study and research centre in Assam since 1928. A special drive has been taken for the digital preservation of an identified part of the collection, with grant support from the National Archive of India. This paper discusses the entire project process starting from the project proposal formulation to the structuring of the digital collection. The paper sequentially discusses the different steps of the entire work of digitization of a collection of 241 old and rare books from the main collection of DHAS.

Flowers, Champagne, and Amputation in “The Men Who Saved the World,” a War Story by Edith Wharton

Abstract This article examines a war story by Edith Wharton, entitled “The Men Who Saved the World.” Two corrected but undated typescripts of this incomplete and unpublished short story form part of the Edith Wharton Collection in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. Dating no earlier than July 1918, this multifaceted narrative is constructed around American participation in the Great War and anticipates an Allied victory. It simultaneously mirrors some of the concerns of Wharton’s other known short stories written around the tail end of the conflict when, for example, it casts a satirical eye over the volunteer efforts of privileged women. Perhaps most remarkably, “The Men Who Saved the World” reads like an experimental attempt—ultimately abandoned by Wharton—at confronting the traumatic effects of warfare through its explicit references to amputation as medical care at the front.

Thomas Bewick — Engraver, Publisher, Innovator

The article is devoted to the problem of revising assessment of the work of the outstanding British engraver and publisher Thomas Bewick. Traditionally, it is considered in the context of the general history of engraving development, mostly not connected with either animalistics or scientific editions. In this regard, T. Bewick’s works of artistic significance belong to natural-scientific illustrations and are used in popular science editions. The erroneous assessment of his works is associated with a widespread stereotype in which scientific illustration is considered as something of low artistic value. The purpose of this research is to study the genesis of T. Bewick’s creativity by analyzing his main works. Of particular interest is the research of the artistic features of woodcut technique, which, thanks to T. Bewick, has found a new life. It is traced the evolution of the engraver’s work from his early period to mature one. The complexity of Bewick’s talent is noted not only as an engraver of book illustrations, but also as an engraver of bookplates. The characteristic of the technique of cutting a design into hardwood cut across is given, the innovative methods thanks to which Bewick has brought this type of an engraving to a new level of book illustration are revealed. Based on the memoirs of Bewick, the author traces the history of the creation of his main books — “A General History of the Quadrupeds” and “A History of British Birds”. It is noted that illustrations by G. Buffon and H. White served as additional sources for “A History of British Birds” despite the use of his own sketches. The author analyses the illustrations and engravings from these books, which are kept in the collections of the Research and Scientific Department of Rare Books (Museum of Book) of the Russian State Library. The structural features of the brief descriptions of “A General History of the Quadrupeds” are considered. Particular attention is paid to the style of the vignettes, which present an integral part of Bewick’s creative credo. Such features of Bewick’s illustrations as realism, as well as the depiction of humorous genre scenes and jokes are revealed. The author notes that at a late stage of Bewick’s art work he rarely uses black cross-hatching, using instead combinations of the wide fields and carefully engraved white spots. The most essential features of Bewick’s engraving are revealed: the principle of “white line”, hatching with crossed and parallel lines, creation of halftones with very thin strokes and tiny dots. It is emphasized that although Bewick’s illustrations have been published in popular scientific publications, they have influenced the development of scientific illustration through their highly artistic execution. It is concluded that woodcut technique allowed to simulate the volume of an image by means of a white stroke.

In the Archives: Crossing the Atlantic with Irish Archives in the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library

In the Archives: Crossing the Atlantic with Irish Archives in the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library

Africa and African languages in the SOAS Library’s Special Collections

AbstractSOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London) Library is one of only five National Research Libraries in the UK and one of the most important academic libraries for the study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The African Language Collection at SOAS is unique in the UK and Europe in terms of its linguistic span and significance. The Library seeks to acquire material in and on all languages present on the African continent, not just those taught and researched at SOAS. The range of material within the Main Library collection and the history of the collection will be briefly evoked, before I bring the focus back to the items about African studies and/or from Africa that are held in the Special Collections of the Library. Those collections include archival collections, rare books collections (including discrete sub-collections of published material such as libraries from missionaries’ societies and/or academic scholars) and manuscripts in African languages. After briefly describing those collections, I point to ways of accessing them. I conclude this short overview by highlighting a few of the challenges of curating publications and manuscripts in African languages.

Establishing the Nexus Between Library and Tourism: An Empirical Approach

ABSTRACT Even though academic attention has been paid to museum tourism and recently to libraries, the library-tourism nexus is comparatively an unexplored area in tourism literature. The aim of this research note is to introduce the concept of library tourism within tourism scholarship and discuss the way in which it may be integrated with future research. All participants praised India for having libraries that are loaded with rare books, references, and manuscripts that date back thousands of years in comparison to its neighbors. By linking this concept with mixed realities, this research note contributes to the future conservation of library heritage, memorable library experiences, and future tourism information services.

Działalność Pracowni Wiedzy o Dawnej Książce Instytutu Historii Nauki PAN w 2022 r.

Research Activity of the Old and Rare Book Studies Research Unit at the Institute for the History of Science PAS in 2022 The article presents the achievements of the Old and Rare Book Studies Research Unit in 2022 in the scope of documentation, scientific, and popularization activities. The research conducted by the Unit members primarily focused on the Manuscripta.pl project, which led to new and significant discoveries concerning medieval manuscripts, the history of book collections and individual codices. In addition to the work related to the implementation of the NPRH project, team members also participated in other scientific projects and carried out individual research activities, resulting in the publication of scientific articles and presentations at academic conferences. Significant efforts were also made in the area of science popularization.

Collections of Manuscripts and Rare Publications in Kazakhstan

ABSTRACT This article reviews the history of collections of manuscripts and rare books in the Arabic script in the Republic of Kazakhstan, including how they took shape, their contents, and their scholarly significance. These collections are considered part of the national heritage and are a valuable resource for studying the history and culture of the Kazakh people. Manuscript books and old printed publications, as well as private collections of valuable books, are additional subjects of interest. The unique materials drawn from these sources make it possible to study the cultural processes and particularities of Islamic civilization in Central Asia.

Minangkabo Dalam Naskah Kuno

In West Sumatra in general, people know that Minangkabo's traditional form of government is Nagari. In historical chronology, the social structure of pre-colonial society is rarely revealed. This is because the composition of pre-colonial society and government is not widely sourced and written down in modern historical narratives. Therefore, not many people know how the social life before the colonial sat and changed the shape of Minangkabo's social structure. By using manuscripts and literacy sources from rare books using the methodology of Historiography, Historiarchaeology, Manuscript Transliteration and Ancient Map Analysis in this paper, the author tries to reveal things that are rarely the concern of many people. The findings of the information reveal other aspects and are different from what is generally known by people in the present. The Minangkabo people and the existing Traditional Government had a great influence when the trade office and representative Gurbernur in Batavia, the Government of the Republic of Batavia in Eastern Europe, was just pioneering its position which eventually controlled the entire archipelago which is currently known as Indonesia.

Memorial Exhibit for Ralph Scott Showcases Ship Plan

Scott, 80, who joined the ECU library faculty in 1971 and was rare books curator in October 2022 at the time of his death, had a love for North Carolina history and ships. Some of Scott’s research culminated in his 2017 book, The Wilmington Shipyard: Welding a Fleet for Victory in World War II. He started the now-completed exhibit, which focuses on 1800s shipbuilder William Webb and the 380-foot vessel Dunderberg, commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 1862. After Scott’s death, Barricella, the library’s head of digital collections, emerged as project leader and worked with maritime studies graduate students Katelyn Rollins and Kendra Ellis from the Department of History.

Spotlight featuring a new LibraryPress@UF publication! B is for Baldwin

The Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature, part of the Special and Area Studies collection in Smathers Library at the University of Florida holds over 120,000 volumes published in Great Britain and the United States from the mid-1600s to the current moment. In addition to containing many rare and colorful books, it serves as an important research collection for scholars of children’s literature, childhood studies, and more. B is for Baldwin: An Alphabet Tour of the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature presents a tour of the collection via the letters of the alphabet.

Prerequisites and Methodological Principles of Digital Library Creation in the State Scientific and Technical Library of Ukraine

The purpose of the article is to substantiate the relevance, prerequisites and methodological foundations for creating an electronic library of scientific and technical information in the State Scientific and Technical Library of Ukraine (SSTL). The research methodology is based on a combination of general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis and forecasting, as well as on the use of systemic, informational, structural and functional, comparative, and terminological approaches. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the further development of views on the creation and functioning of an electronic scientific and technical library in the context of the implementation of the principles of open science and open access to scientific and informational resources. Conclusions. The development and implementation of the project on the creation of an electronic scientific and technical information library in the SSTL of Ukraine will contribute to solving a number of important issues, in particular: optimization and expansion of remote access of domestic and foreign users to the documents of the library collection, implementation of virtual reconstruction of scattered collections and funds; informational support for scientific, educational, and production projects; providing access to unique materials – rare books, archival documents, including their special types – patent, regulatory and technical, unpublished; preservation of originals that are at risk of disappearance or damage. Key words: State Scientific and Technical Library (SSTL) of Ukraine, electronic information resources, electronic library, electronic catalogue, full-text databases, scientific and technical information, open access, open science.

Problems of cataloging and research of rare books (based on Persian books)

Problems of cataloging and research of rare books (based on Persian books)

In the Shadow of the Palms: The Selected Works of David Eugene Smith

In the Shadow of the Palms: The Selected Works of David Eugene Smith

"O Vere Bona et Sancta Crux": OSU.SPEC.RARE.MS.MR.Frag.450 and the Treasured Relics of the Sainte-Chapelle

Abstract: The single leaf from a fourteenth-century Dominican breviary recently donated to the Rare Books & Manuscripts Library at the Ohio State University can serve as the catalyst for exploration of subject matter that may be specific to Parisian liturgical books of the period, and for critical evaluation of the artistic influence of Jean Pucelle, Jean le Noir, their collaborators, and imitators. Cut from the sanctorale of the original codex, the folio contains both text and a historiated initial that tie it to the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. While the textual content adheres to the Dominican standards, the image is highly unusual, raising questions about its potential meaning for the devout reader. Seeing this subject in relation to extant images among fragments of the same parent breviary fortune has preserved in other collections, one may dare to speculate on the intentions of the individual responsible for the program of illustration, in an era of devotion to the cult of the recently canonized St. Louis.

Current State of Special Collections and Rare Books Cataloging Education at LIS Programs

There is a need for highly trained special collections and rare books catalogers as found in recent job postings. Where will these catalogers learn the unique skills needed for them to succeed in their careers? This paper is an environmental survey of courses offered by the 68 Library and Information Science programs accredited by the American Library Association. It evaluates what course offerings in cataloging and special collections are available. These findings suggest LIS programs currently do not offer sufficient numbers of courses to train special collections and rare books catalogers. Additional skills, from extra languages to knowledge of DCRM(B), need to be acquired in other ways, before, during, and after traditional LIS degree work.

Wald's leadership: Public health nurses' response to the 1918 influenza pandemic.

COVID-19 pandemic brings to light similarities to the 1918 influenza pandemic, one of the deadliest outbreaks in United States history. The work of the Henry Street Visiting Nurse Service also referred to the public health nurses for that time, was a critical part of the New York City response. This case study examined Lillian Wald's leadership in directing the public health nursing response in New York City during the second wave of the influenza pandemic, from September through December of 1918. A historical social framework was used. Primary sources included the Lillian Wald Papers in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University in New York, Wald's (1934) Windows on Henry Street, medical, public health and nursing documents, journals, and newspaper articles published during the early 20th century. Secondary source material include works by historians Sarah Abrams, Arlene Keeling, Karen Buhler-Wilkerson, Sandra Lewenson, John Barry, and Alfred Crosby. Key findings included developing a community wide strategic plan, using data driven decisions, implementing visiting nursing services, teaching in the home, and maintaining a diverse workforce. Lessons learned can guide leadership in emergency planning, system change, infection control and disease prevention, all familiar practices of public health nursing.