The Manuscripts Working Group (MSS Librarians WG) is an international network of professionals responsible for the care and management of manuscript and archive collections. The Group was first formed in 2000 at a conference in Stockholm, where manuscript librarians came together to discuss developments in the field and exchange expertise. It was formally approved in 2001 under the auspices of LIBER’s Collection Development Division and has been part of CERL since 2014.
The Working Group provides a platform for exchange and collaboration, supporting discussions on cataloguing practices, access to collections, digital resources, and professional standards. By bringing together expertise from diverse national and institutional traditions, it fosters cooperation and shared understanding among manuscript librarians across Europe and beyond.
The Manuscripts Librarians Working Group brings together expertise on manuscript and archive collections across Europe and beyond, supporting both research and public engagement with cultural heritage.
- Highlights the unique significance of manuscript and archive collections
- Provides a forum for curatorial issues and practical cooperation among librarians
- Advises CERL on how to support the manuscript librarians’ community and researchers
- Develops shared resources, including national background reports and online catalogues
Chair: Daryl Green, University of Edinburgh Library
- Katharina Kaska, Direktor der Sammlung von Handschriften und alten Drucken, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Austria
- Ann Kelders, Scientific Collaborator of the Manuscripts Department, Royal Library of Belgium, Belgium
- Zdeněk Uhlíř, Coordinator of the Manuscriptorium Digital Library, National Library of the Czech Republic, Czech Republic
- Anders Toftgaard, The Royal Library, Denmark
- Laure Rioust – Chargé de collections au Département des manuscrits, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, France
- Dr. Jaakko Tahkokallio – Curator, National Library of Finland, Finland
- Robert Giel, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Germany
- Claire Breay, The British Library, Great Britain
- David Speranzi, Dept. of MSS and Rare Books of the National Library of Florence, and Martina Bagnoli, Modena Estense Library and Galleries, Italy
- Viktorija Vaitkevičiūtė Verbickienė, Head of Rare Book and Manuscript Department, Martynas Mazvydas National Library of Lithuania, Lithuania
- Bart Jaski, Conservator at the University Library, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Bente Granrud, Head of Section, Manuscripts Department, The National Library of Norway, Norway
- Agnieszka Fabiańska, Custodian at the Manuscript Division, Warsaw University Library, Poland
- Anna Gudayol, Cap de la Secció de Manuscrits, Biblioteca de Catalunya, Spain
- Katinka Ahlbom, Physical Collections Department, National Library of Sweden, Sweden
- Ian Holt, Head of Special Collections of the Zentralbibliothek Solothurn, Switzerland and Chairman of the Swiss Manuscripts Expert Group, Switzerland
The Manuscript Librarians Working Group has put together a list of resources for students and scholars of manuscripts and archival materials. Download PDF
Manuscripts in the Spotlight
Ian David Holt, Head of Special Collections at the Solothurn Central Library, highlights two manuscripts from their collection. On the left there is a liturgical manuscript with magnificent fleuronèe-initials that was created for the Solothurn Franciscan friary in an Upper Rhenish scriptorium.
On the right we can see an early copy of the highly influential theological work Sententiae by Petrus Lombardus from the dissolved collegiate church of Schönenwerd, Canton of Solothurn.
Left: Zentralbibliothek Solothurn S III 1, Graduale Fratrum Minorum, ca. 1320/1330.
Right: Zentralbibliothek Solothurn (ZBS) S II 72. Petrus Lombardus, Sententiae, 12th century.
Conferences
The Manuscript Librarians Working Group aim to arrange regular conferences. The conferences are open to everyone interested in the topics, and aim to be a place for networking and exchange of information for all working with manuscripts or special collections in libraries or other institutions.
Contact information
For more information about the Manuscripts Librarians Working Group, please contact the Chair: Daryl Green, University of Edinburgh Library.