Inventories and catalogues of monastic libraries from monasteries dissolved in Wielkopolska under Prussian rule until the mid-19th century – description and significance Cover Image

Spisy i katalogi wielkopolskich bibliotek klasztornych z klasztorów skasowanych w Wielkopolsce pod rządami Prus do połowy XIX w. – charakterystyka i znaczenie
Inventories and catalogues of monastic libraries from monasteries dissolved in Wielkopolska under Prussian rule until the mid-19th century – description and significance

Author(s): Kamila Kłudkiewicz
Subject(s): History, Library and Information Science
Published by: Laboratoire de Recherches sur l'Histoire des Congregations et Ordres Religieux (LARHCOR)
Keywords: closure of monastic libraries in Wielkopolska; catalogues of monastic libraries in Wielkopolska

Summary/Abstract: The closure of monastic libraries in the Wielkopolska province under Prussian rule had several stages. The first stage consisted in assessments of the size of the libraries and descriptions of their holdings. This was followed by a decision concerning the fate of the collections, which were ultimately transferred to new locations: the Royal and University Libraries in Berlin, schools in Poznań and Bydgoszcz, libraries of seminaries in Gniezno and Poznań, as well as libraries of deaneries. At each stage a key role was played by inventories and catalogues of monastic libraries commissioned by various authorities (of the Duchy of Warsaw, President of the Grand Duchy of Poznań, Royal Regions of Poznań and Bydgoszcz). First they were used to assess the state of the monasteries’ holdings. Next, the authorities made decisions on their basis about what to do with the books. In the first half of the 19th century there were three inventories compiled in monastic libraries in Wielkopolska: in 1810, 1817–1820 and in the 1830s. In the article the author discusses catalogues from these three periods, pointing to the data they contained, ways of describing books and their order, people in charge of inventory taking and their function.

  • Issue Year: 2015
  • Issue No: 6
  • Page Range: 101-142
  • Page Count: 42
  • Language: Polish