These cultural heritage treasures have previously only been available to researchers with the opportunity to travel to the Department in person. After the conclusion of the project, more than 250 of the Library’s medieval European manuscripts will be available online, in high-resolution, freely downloadable to users internationally.

While prominent researchers are already familiar with the Rare Book Department’s strong holdings in medieval manuscripts, the collaborative reach and exhaustive breadth of this project increases the visibility of the Library and the Rare Book Department in the scholarly world. New commitments to open data position the Department, and the Library, in alliance with leading institutions internationally.

More than 250 medieval European manuscripts will be freely available in high resolution to users internationally, whether expert or enthusiast. The project also serves as a model for future collaborative large-scale digitization endeavors.