CERL Annual Seminar 2025 – October

Engaging with Founding Collections in the 21st century

Organized by: CERL

Speaker(s): Agnieszka Franczyk-Cegła,Alex Alsemgeest,Charlotte Murphey,Claudia Fabian,Daryl Green,Elise Girold,Graeme Hawley,Greg Prickman,Julian Harrison,Laura Shanahan,Marian Lefferts,Nijolė Klingaitė-Dasevičienė,Sandra Brooke Gordon,Vicky Gerontoupoulou

Engaging with Founding Collections in the 21st century

The theme for the 2025 annual seminar is Founding Collections. Large research libraries of Europe are typically proud of their founding collections, and still have a vivid interaction with them.

The founding collections mirror the lives, interests and relationships of the individuals who amassed them, they are a witness of the social and personal biases of the times, they reflect political geography and instances of preservation and loss.

The founding collections may be products of chance encounters, wealth, discovery, acts of generosity, or even acts of theft or looting. The process of collecting and transformation into a founding collection is thus partly deliberate and partly ruled by chance. Founding collections can shape the identities of the institutions they belong to for a very long time – perhaps even permanently – which is the theme of this conference.

* The quote is by George Holbrooke Jackson, British journalist, writer and publisher.

This seminar has a pendant

So many colleagues offered to present a paper on this topic, that not all could be accommodated in a one-day seminar. We have therefore decided to organise a second event in London that was hosted by the Guildhall Library, and took place on 5 December 2025. Further details about this event are available here.

Programme

– 10:00: Registration with coffee
– 10:30: Welcome

  • Claudia Fabian, CERL Chair – Welcome
  • Graeme Hawley, National Library of Scotland – Welcome and a few brief words about the Founding Collections at the National Library of Scotland

Panel 1

Moderator: Daryl Green, University of Edinburgh Library

– 11:00-11:30: Laura Shanahan (The Library of Trinity College Dublin and CERL Director): Many fell swoops: foundational collections in the Library of Trinity College Dublin
– 11:30-12:00: Agnieszka Franczyk-Cegła (Ossolineum National Library, Poland): Crossing Borders and Time: The Founding Collection of the Ossolineum Library in Austria-Hungary, Poland, and Ukraine
– 12:00-12:15: Marian Lefferts (CERL): A few words about the founding of CERL
– 12:15-13:15: Lunch

Panel 2

Moderator: Charlotte Murphey (CERL)

– 13:15-13:45: Julian Harrison (British Library, London, ‘For Publick Use & Advantage’: re-imagining the Cotton collection
– 13:45-14:15: Elise Girold (Bibliothèque nationale et universitaire de Strasbourg), The founding collections of the National and university library of Strasbourg (Bnu) : how the legacy of the past continues to shape a strategy for the future
– 14:15-14:45: Sandra Brooke Gordon, The Huntington, San Marino CA, Rancho Origins and Research Futures: Tracing British Foundations at The Huntington Library
– 14:45-15:30: Tea break

Panel 3

– 15:30-16:00: Vicky Gerontoupoulou (Onassis Library/Onassis Foundation):  From Bibliophile Vision to Institutional Legacy: The Onassis Library’s Origins
– 16:00-16:30: Greg Prickman (Eric Weinmann Librarian and Director of Collections and Exhibitions, Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC): Roboro Obsono: Founding the Folger Collection by Collecting Collections
– 16:30-17:00: Nijolė Klingaitė-Dasevičienė (Vilnius University Library, Lithuania):  From Legacy to Relevance: Founding Collections of Vilnius University Library
– 17:00-17:30: Alex Alsemgeest (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam):  The story of 139 books and half a million more. Rethinking the Origins of the Rijksmuseum Research Library
– 17:30: Conclusion
– 19:00: Informal dinner (at participants’ own expense)

Abstracts and speaker biographies

Alex Alsemgeest (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam), The story of 139 books and half a million more. Rethinking the Origins of the Rijksmuseum Research Library

  • Abstract: The standard tour of the Rijksmuseum Research Library opens with the anecdote that the museum’s collection comprised just 139 books in 1877. In the following year, architect Pierre Cuypers added a four-stories library to his design of the new Rijksmuseum building, and by the time the library opened its door on 1 December 1888, the collection had grown to several thousand volumes. The director of the Print Cabinet at the time, Johan Philip van der Kellen (1831-1906), had stated on several occasions that a leading European museum would need a library ‘to serve the research needs of the public’. Even though it makes a good story about growth and ambition to say that you had just 139 books when you decided to build a library that could hold up to 40,000 volumes, it leaves some important questions unanswered.

    The status of books in the museum between 1800 and 1888 remains unclear, and little research has been done on the acquisition strategies of its formative decades or their relationship to other departments of the museum. This presentation explores those overlooked aspects, with the aim of better understanding the function and identity of a museum library. How does it differ from national or academic libraries, and how does it shape, or reflect, what a museum chooses to collect and display?

  • Biography: Alex Alsemgeest is curator of library collections at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, a position he has held since 2021. Previously, he worked on book historical and library projects in Uppsala, Dublin, and The Hague. His expertise includes the history of libraries and collections, the early modern book trade, and the materiality of the book.

Sandra Brooke Gordon, The Huntington, San Marino CA, Rancho Origins and Research Futures: Tracing British Foundations at The Huntington Library

  • Abstract: Founded on an estate comprised of several former ranchos, The Huntington Library reflects the vision of Henry E. Huntington, who sought to establish a research institution of international stature through the acquisition of major British, European, and American book and manuscript collections. These collections embedded imperial and transatlantic legacies in the Library’s foundations while also introducing British models of cataloguing, access, and institutional exchange.At the same time, Huntington’s project was inseparable from a broader regional movement of institution building—its founders also shaped Caltech, Occidental College, and the Mt. Wilson observatories—through which European cultural and scientific traditions were transplanted into California’s landscape and mingled with the multiethnic peoples and communities of the Pacific Rim and the Los Angeles basin. This paper examines how Huntington’s vision, combining British collections with Southern Californian civic ambitions, produced a research library simultaneously rooted in local and international contexts.

  • Biography: Sandra Brooke Gordon joined the Huntington in 2018 as Avery Director of the Library. She reports directly to the President and oversees some 75 librarians and support personnel. Her position focuses on strategic and financial planning and donor development.

    Some key areas of responsibility are engaging the large constituent communities of The Huntington and the general public through programming, exhibitions, and talks; making expert decisions regarding creating a digital environment; promoting the importance of maintaining a library of unique, valuable, and historically significant books and manuscripts; and collaborating with and complementing the other collection areas of The Huntington and the Research Division.

Agnieszka Franczyk-Cegła (Ossolineum National Library, Poland), Crossing Borders and Time: The Founding Collection of the Ossolineum Library in Austria-Hungary, Poland, and Ukraine

  • Abstract: The Ossolineum National Library, one of the largest and oldest libraries in modern-day Poland, was established on the basis of the private collection of Józef Maksymilian Ossoliński (1748-1826), a Polish noble and scholar, director of the Imperial Court Library in Vienna (now National Library of Austria).

    The founding collection of the Ossolineum Library has undergone numerous changes over the course of its more than 200-year existence, reflecting the political and geographic unrest of the countries in which it was housed: Austria-Hungary, Poland and Ukraine. Nowadays, the collection is divided between Poland and Ukraine. The objective of the paper is to provide its comprehensive overview and current state, including the collaborative projects that have been underway for the past few years and a number of recent initiatives connected to the 200th anniversary of Ossoliński’s death which is approaching next year.

  • Biography: Doctor of Humanities, bibliologist. Head of the Department of Early Printed Book at the Ossolineum National Library, chair of the Provenance Working Group at the Consortium of European Research Libraries, member of the Executive Committee at the Consortium of European Research Libraries, member of the IFLA Rare Books and Special Collections Section.

    Laureate of the science popularization competition “Complicated and simple. Young scholars about their research”; (2018), recipient of a scholarship of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in the field of cultural heritage protection (2022), of the French Minister of Culture in the program “Parcours de collections 2025, Courants du monde” (2025). Author of numerous scientific and popularization articles on the book provenance, history and typography.

Vicky Gerontoupoulou (Onassis Library/Onassis Foundation), From Bibliophile Vision to Institutional Legacy: The Onassis Library’s Origins

  • Abstract: The Konstantinos Sp. Staikos Book Collection, now part of the Onassis Library, exemplifies how a private passion for books can evolve into a cultural institution of national significance. Initiated in the 1970s by architect and book historian Konstantinos Sp. Staikos (1943–2023), the collection began with a focus on early Greek printing and typography. It gradually developed into a curated archive of Hellenic intellectual history, comprising around 2,000 rare works dating from the 15th to the 19th century. These works reflect the multifaceted nature of Greek cultural memory—from classical humanism and Orthodox tradition to the Enlightenment and the emergence of modern literature. Staikos shaped the collection through ties with scholars, rare book dealers, and historic estates. Acquisitions from notable Greek libraries enriched its academic value.

    In 2009, the Onassis Foundation acquired the collection and created the Onassis Library in central Athens, enhancing its global visibility. Through digitisation projects, the library content became more accessible to researchers and from 2016 the library space opened to the public, organizing guided tours, exhibitions and educational programs for all. Today, the Onassis Library houses over 10,000 editions and serves as both a guardian and promoter of Hellenic print heritage. This paper will explore how the founding vision, collecting practices, and curatorial strategies of K. Sp. Staikos shaped the institutional identity of the Onassis Library, turning it into a foundational pillar of the Onassis Foundation’s cultural work.

  • Biography: Vicky Gerontopoulou is a Science & Technology Historian (MA). She has been working at the Onassis Foundation since 2009 as a project manager and digital programs coordinator. In 2014, she was appointed coordinator of the Onassis Library.She has an extensive experience in planning of cultural events as well as in implementation of European research programs and digital projects.

    Her research explores the history of books and ideas during the Neo-Hellenic Enlightenment (18th–19th century), with a focus on the intersection of historical inquiry and Digital Humanities.

Elise Girold (Bibliothèque nationale et universitaire de Strasbourg), The founding collections of the National and university library of Strasbourg (Bnu) : how the legacy of the past continues to shape a strategy for the future

  • Abstract: The Bnu library has recently celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding. Established in a very critical time, after a war, and in order to compensate for the loss of the city of Strasbourg’s former prestigious library, its founding collections reflect the turbulent history of a border region and the complex relationship of its inhabitants to their identity. If these collections are more relevant than ever to question our present identity, both as an institution and as a community, this legacy raises many other issues, such as the reason for the one-of-a-kind status of the library, the actions we undergo to promote access to world heritage treasures and research materials, and our responsibility for transparency as a cultural institution.

    Our previous strategic plan focused very much on embracing the digital turn, whereas the current 5-year plan goes back to the roots. It was developed based on the analysis of our strongpoints, of what makes the Bnu a unique institution. The founding collections certainly played a central part in the thinking that lead to this plan named “Openings”, a title that holds great promise.

  • Biography: Elise Girold has worked at the Bnu since she obtained her library curator diploma in 2011. Before that, she graduated from the École nationale des chartes in 2009 as an archivist-paleographer. After holding various positions within the library, first in collection management and then in project management, Mme Girold is now deputy director of the ‘Cultures et savoirs’ department.

Julian Harrison (British Library, London, ‘For Publick Use & Advantage’: re-imagining the Cotton collection

  • Abstract: The Cotton collection is renowned as one of the greatest private libraries ever assembled in Britain, containing items such as Magna Carta, Beowulf, the Lindisfarne Gospels, and autograph letters of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Entrusted into the care of the nation by Act of Parliament in 1702 — ‘the said Library should be kept and preserved by the Name of the Cottonian Library for Publick Use & Advantage’ — the library was famously damaged in a major fire in 1731, before becoming one of the foundation collections of the British Museum Library in 1753.

    Today, it forms one of the greatest treasures of the British Library and is inscribed on the UNESCO UK Memory of the World register. This paper analyses how researchers have engaged with the Cotton collection in recent decades, hampered by the lack of detailed catalogue descriptions and the damage sustained in the fire. It will question how perceptions of the collection may have changed since the time it was acquired, and it will highlight attempts to bring new life to the fire-damaged items, using multi-spectral imaging and similar techniques. It will ask how we can re-imagine a foundation collection that has invariably been viewed in a traditional light, in the process gaining more insights into its original rationale and motivations.

  • Biography: Julian Harrison is Lead Curator of Medieval Historical and Literary Manuscripts at the British Library. He co-supervises two collaborative PhD students whose work focuses on the Cotton collection.

Nijolė Klingaitė-Dasevičienė (Vilnius University Library, Lithuania), From Legacy to Relevance: Founding Collections of Vilnius University Library

  • Abstract: The Library of Vilnius University was founded in 1570 as part of the Jesuit College. Its origins lie in two collections donated by prominent patrons: the book collection of the Bishop of Vilnius, Jurgis Albinijus, and the personal library of the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismund Augustus, which he bequeathed to the Jesuits of Vilnius in his will. A third significant collection was added in 1642, when the newly established Faculty of Law received a donation from the noble Sapieha family – a collection of works on law and military science.Together with further donations from professors and students, as well as publications issued by the Vilnius University Press, these three collections formed the foundation of the Vilnius University Library: Bibliotheca Academiae Vilnensis. Over time, as political regimes shifted, the library was closed on several occasions, and many of its holdings were transported to Russia. Between 1954 and 1956, part of the collection—nearly 18,000 items—was returned to Lithuania. This presentation aims to introduce current research conducted on the founding collection and the methods used for its dissemination. It also seeks to emphasize the role of the library as a research center – one that presents new findings and, in doing so, helps shape the public understanding of the country’s past, cultural heritage, and scholarly achievements.

Greg Prickman (Eric Weinmann Librarian and Director of Collections and Exhibitions, Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC), Roboro Obsono: Founding the Folger Collection by Collecting Collections

  • Abstract: The Folger Shakespeare Library is well known for housing the 82 copies of the 1623 First Folio of Shakespeare’s works that Henry and Emily Folger collected during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While they famously focused on this and other specific titles, as collectors they are distinguished by their steadfast dedication to the idea of building a library collection that was broader, deeper, and of more potential future research value.

    The term “library collection” is meaningful in contrast to “private collection” as the Folgers seemed intent on founding a library with their collection rather than enjoying their acquisitions as part of their everyday lifestyle. Among their most significant acquisitions was of the Shakespeare collection of Warwick Castle in 1897. This secretive transaction formed the core of an expanding collection of Shakespearian material that became the founding collection of the library that carries the Folger’s name. This presentation will take a close look at the Folgers’ collecting practices, including the Warwick Castle acquisition, as a way of illustrating how a new library could be made for the American 20th century from the accumulation of collections from other times and places.

  • Biography: Greg Prickman is the Eric Weinmann Librarian and Director of Collections & Exhibitions at the Folger Shakespeare Library. He joined the Library in 2018 and is responsible for the vision and direction of the Folger’s library services and collections. He also leads the Folger’s expanded exhibition program, and developed rare book visitor experiences while designing the Folger’s new exhibition galleries. Previously he was head of Special Collections at the University of Iowa Libraries.

    He is an innovator in digital access to historical collections, and the creator and lead developer of The Atlas of Early Printing (now at https://atlas.folger.edu/), a digital, publicly accessible map depicting the development of printing in 15th century Europe. Prickman is a Director of the Consortium of European Research Libraries (CERL) and a member of the Board of Directors for the English Short-Title Catalog, North America (ESTC/NA).

Laura Shanahan (The Library of Trinity College Dublin and CERL Director), Many fell swoops: foundational collections in the Library of Trinity College Dublin

  • Abstract: The Library of Trinity College Dublin has major and internationally renowned collections of significant medieval manuscripts and historic printed works. Many of these items were received in the library through foundational bequests and have acted as inspiration for ongoing donations of rare and unique material to its iconic eighteenth-century building.

    Examples include the great Libraries of James Ussher and Claudius Gilbert (encompassing over 20,000 items), along with that of the Fagel family (30,000 items: maps, pamphlets, books and manuscripts), and Mary Pollard (over 10,000 children’s books). However, the Library’s major foundational collections also include the legal deposit collection, which has been expanding since 1801.These vast collections continue to perform their public duty in great demand to the present day. A programme of strategic projects under the Virtual Trinity Library programme is generating opportunities to reimagine the use of these collections, and ensure their direct and immediate relevance for current research, teaching and public enjoyment. This paper will explore some of these opportunities and successes, in particular in examining their use in a 21st century context.

  • Biography: Laura Shanahan has been Head of Research Collections at the Library of Trinity College Dublin since 2018. In her role, she is responsible for leading the teams and services associated with the manuscripts, archives, early printed books, special collections and the map library. Current priorities include informing the work of the Old Library Redevelopment Project, to reimagine the eighteenth century library fit for a twenty-first century researcher and tourist visitor experience and to deliver a portfolio of projects under the Virtual Trinity Library, specifically ensuring these unique collections are available and accessible for the widest possible audiences.

    Her previous experience includes leadership roles with modern collections, capital development projects, and service change programmes. Laura has been on the Board of Directors for CERL since 2023.

Related resources

Guildhall Library - London

CERL Annual Seminar 2025 – Session 2 – December

CERL Newsletter 46

Cerl Newsletter 46 – June 2025

CERL Newsletter 47

Cerl Newsletter 47 – December 2025

EVENT INFORMATION

National Library of Scotland

  • Location: Edinburgh - United Kingdom
  • Event date: October 21, 2025

LINKS AND DOWNLOADS