Manuscript Fragments in the University Library, Leipzig: Types and Cataloguing Patterns

Abstract

Fragments constitute a major part of the holdings of the the University Library of Leipzig (UBL), with some 800 loose fragments, at least 600 fragments in situ in incunabula, and an unknown number bound in manuscript volumes and sixteenth-eighteenth century prints. Over a series of projects working with detached and in situ fragments, the Leipzig Manuscript Centre developed a description scheme for manuscript fragments in its collection. A Fragmentarium case study provided the opportunity to test this scheme for its efficiency in producing useful information for specialists. As a result, in 2017 the case study published on Fragmentarium over 250 fragments with description, including some scholarly significant finds that are already having an impact.