The sixth seminar on the care and conservation of manuscripts, 19-20 October 2000

Exhibition technique, medieval bindings and the use made of manuscripts by scholars were the main themes of the sixth seminar.

The seminar was attended by some 70 people, with speakers coming from Denmark, The Netherlands, Germany, The Czech Republic, Italy, Sweden, Great Britian and The Republic of Georgia.

The following papers were presented: M. J. Driscoll, The Arnamagnæan Institute, Copenhagen: The MASTER project: Defining standards for electronic manuscript catalogue records. — Karsten Christensen, University of Copenhagen: Sixteenth-century Danish bookbindings in the Arnamagnæan Collection: Preliminary incursions. — Nathalie Penders and John Havermans, TNO Paper and Board, Delft: Preventive conservation related to iron-gall ink deterioration. — Gesa Kolbe, Staatliche Akademie der bildende Künste, Stuttgart: Gelatine in historical paper-making and present-day restoration of paper manuscripts. — Jana Dernovskova, State Archive of the Czech Republic, Prague: The conservation survey of the Litomeriky Gradual from the beginning of the 16th century. — Ragnheiður Mósesdóttir, The Arnamagnæan Institute, Copenhagen: Disaster-planning. — Jirí Vnoucek, National Library of the Czech Republic, Prague: Homilarium Opatoviciense: The conservation of a book as an artefact. — Merete K. Jørgensen, The Dictionary of Old Danish, Copenhagen: The manuscript Codex Holmensis B74 in the Royal Library, Stockholm: The oldest source for the Dictionary of Old Danish. — Maila d'Aronco, University of Udine: The traditional facsimile: Reproduction or edition? The case of London BL, Cotton Vitellius C.iii. — Kathryn A. Lowe, University of Glasgow: The reconstruction of early charter texts from 15th-century copies. — Martin Strebel, Atelier für Buch- und Papierrestaurierung, Hunzenschwil: A programme for preservation and conservation at the St Gall Abbey Library. — J.A. Szirmai, Oosterbeek: Conservation binding for medieval codices. — Pamela Porter, The British Library, London: Conservation meets exhibition: The theory and practice of lending manuscripts for display. — Jesper Düring Jørgensen, The Royal Library, Copenhagen: Planning of exhibitions: A few reflections on strategies and organisation. — Magdalena L. Midtgaard, The Royal Library, Copenhagen: Exhibition communication. — Per Cullhed, The University Library, Uppsala: Brazil wood: An abundant and transient dye. — Jenny Sheppard, Cambridge: The findings of the Cambridge survey of medieval bindings. — Irakli Iakobashvili, Tbilisi: Problems of conservation of, and research in, some 9th- and 10th-century Georgian manuscripts recently discovered on Mount Sinai. — Robert Fuchs, Fachhochschule Köln: Old repairs and old restorations in medieval mansucripts.

The proceedings are published in Care and conservation of manuscripts 6, ed. Gillian Fellows-Jensen and Peter Springborg (Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, 2002).