GBIB Nieuws

Unique Heritage Collection ‘Library of Cardinal d’Alsace’ Fully Catalogued

gjuhasz — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:54:25 +0000

Recently, the bibliographic details of the last volume from the rich collection of Thomas Philippe d’Alsace (1679-1759), archbishop of Mechelen (Malines) were entered into the electronic catalogue of the University Library. This means that the ‘Leuven’ part of this extraordinary book collection, preserved in the Maurits Sabbe Library, can be consulted more easily to its full extent.

The history of the so-called ‘Library of Cardinal d’Alsace’ dates back to the early 18th century. When he was appointed archbishop, Thomas Philippe d’Alsace decided to house his private book collection in his palace in Mechelen and to make it disponible for the seminarists. The library of D’Alsace, a remarkable reference collection, contained both earlier and contemporary works from different domains divided into various sections: Bibles and Exegetical works, publications on Patristics, Theology and Canon Law as well as Civil Law, History, Philology, Philosophy and Exact Sciences were avidly collected. A Catalogus haereticorum with “heretical” texts concluded the collection. In 1738 Alsace donated his library to the St Rombouts Chapter and so the library attained, quite exceptionally for its time, a semi-public character.

The bibliophile Cardinal also took care of his books: most were bound in calf leather with a typical decoration in gold stamping. Many bindings bear the coat of arms of the golden stamp of d’Alsace on the boards. The collection with its walls of glittering golden backs is a real eye catcher in the Archive of Precious and Rare Books of the Maurits Sabbe Library.

The French Revolution dispersed the exceptional collection, which originally numbered nearly 9,400 titles. 22 cases were disposed of by the French revolutionary regime and ended up in libraries in Paris but also in the Royal Library in Brussels and a few other libraries. About five hundred volumes, especially legal titles, ended up in the library of the Town of Mechelen and are now kept in the Town Archives of Mechelen. The rest was added to the library of the Grand Seminary of Mechelen.

Thanks to the efforts of, among others, emeritus professor Luc Dequeker, the collection of early printed books of the Grand Seminary (including an important part of the Library of Cardinal d’Alsace), was deposited in 1969 at the library of the Faculty of Theology of the KU Leuven. Making accessible this very extensive collection is a long process that will continue in the coming years. The processing of the nearly three thousand titles from the Collection d’Alsace in the Maurits Sabbe Library is a first important step.

Jaarverslag Campusbibliotheek HW 2011

gjuhasz — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:27:11 +0000

Het jaarverslag van de Campusbiblitoheek Humane Wetenschappen voor het jaar 2011 is nu ook elektronisch beschikbaar op de website van de Universiteitsbibliotheek.

Het verslag bevat niet enkel interessante statistieken, boeiend cijfermateriaal en verrassende grafieken (b.v. de evolutie van de collecties van de verschillende bibliotheken, het aantal bibliotheekbezoekers op maandbasis, inkomsten en uitgaven, enz.) maar ook mooie foto’s en informatie over de activiteiten en plannen van de bibliotheken (o.a. het Agora project, initiatieven van KULTURAMA en Flandrica).

Boeiend leesmateriaal dus voor iedereen die wat meer wil weten over wat er beweegt en groeit in de bibliotheken van Humane Wetenschappen.

Surprise for Magda

gjuhasz — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:01:24 +0000

Magda turns 80 in July and unfortunately she will leave us. We want to celebrate and thank her for her years of loyal commitment. For this we need your help. Do you have fond memories, photos or anecdotes about her, or just want to express a word of thanks? You can do this in the memory book at the front desk each time Magda is not there:

on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday: during opening hours
on Monday, Wednesday and Friday: between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.

until June 1, 2012.

If you for some reason cannot sign the book personally but would like to send a personal note for her, please use our contact form (with “Magda” in the subject).

Pssst!

Do not spoil the surprise for Magda by mentioning anything about it.

British Library Buys Oldest Intact Book for 9 Million GBP

gjuhasz — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:48:09 +0000

Photo: St Cuthbert Gospel © British Library

The British Library, the national library of the United Kingdom has purchased the oldest intact book. The so-called Gospel of St Cuthbert dating from the 7th century A.D. contains a manuscript of the Gospel of John according to the Latin translation of the Vulgate. Bound in red leather, the manuscript is in remarkably good condition and is very readable. Marginal notes dating from the late seventh century mark four passages (Jn 5:21; 6:37,51 and 11:21) which were used during the office for the dead.

For over 400 years the book was in the coffin of St. Cuthbert in Durham Cathedral and was only discovered in 1104, during the transfer of the relics of the saint. After the dissolution of the monasteries during the English Reformation (1536-1541) the book was lost again. In the eighteenth century it was owned by Earl George Henry Lee who donated it to a Jesuit of the English Jesuit College in Liège and thus the English Province of the Jesuits became its owner until its recent acquistion by the British Library.

The purchase was made possible by a major fundraising campaign by the British Library during the past year. This highly successful campaign (the largest ever in history) collected about half of the price (in total 9 million pounds!). The British Library has had to dig deep into its pocket more than once in the past for the acquisition of masterpieces from the British national religious heritage. In 1994, they paid little over one million pounds to obtain the (then) only known (nearly) complete copy of the oldest printed English New Testament (translated by William Tyndale, printed in Worms in 1526). This was at the time the largest sum ever paid for a book, now far surpassed by this recent acquisition of the St Cuthbert Gospel. The book will be temporarily exhibited to the public in the British Library.

View Online

The entire manuscript can be admired at the site of the British Library.

Source: British Library, British Library Digitised Manuscripts

Photos: © British Library Press Service

Kom jij bij ons werken?

gjuhasz — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:08:01 +0000

Wij zoeken twee ervaren voltijdse bibliotheekmedewerkers:

1. projectcoördinator catalografie schenkingen en erfgoedcollecties;

2. beheerder tijdschriften en e-bronnen.

Kandidaten hebben bij voorkeur een masterdiploma in de geesteswetenschappen, aangevuld met een diploma van een bibliotheekopleiding en ervaring in de sector. Ervaring met het verwerken van oude drukken en/of onderhouden van websites is een pluspunt.

Praktisch

Kijk op de aankodiging van de vacatures voor meer details.
Solliceteer online voor deze vacatures.

Digitising the Vatican Library

gjuhasz — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:36:33 +0000

The Bodleian Library of Oxford University is going to assist the Vatican in a four-year long project to digitise and publish online 1.5 million manuscripts and rare books from the Biblioteca Apostolica and from Oxford. Two thirds of the material will come from Rome, the rest from Oxord. These will include Greek and Hebrew manuscripts, as well as incunabula and early printed works in Hebrew.

Source: Kerknet, BBC, VIS

Renewed Website

gjuhasz — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 09:30:58 +0000

Loyal visitors to our site have undoubtedly already noticed that the website of the library was recently completely renewed. Following the launch of the Dutch site in January, the English version is now also functional. Not only are there a lot of practical information (e.g. accessibility, stack requests, imaging services, an emergency plan and a 2D-3D floor plan) and background information, but also the structure of the website has been reconsidered to improve your surfing experience. We have a growing collection of frequently asked questions and a collection of fun facts about the library. A novelty is that the contact details are always available in the left sidebar. Also the LIMO search interface is always at hand: either on the page itself or in the left sidebar. At the top of the right sidebar you will find a collection of news items. Below that are the links to the most visited pages. Under the quick links we have posted the opening hours (with a visualization of the current occupation and a link to the closing dates). Finally, a search window with live search feature enables you to quickly and efficiently find the information you are looking for. Switching between languages is very easy: you will not be returned to the home page but immediately get the corresponding page in Dutch or English.

Your Opinion Counts

Your opinion as a website visitor and as a library user is very important to us. That is why we created various forms to contact us, to pass on order suggestions, to indicate missing books or to report any complaints.

We sincerely wish you enjoy your visit on our website.

Vernieuwde website

gjuhasz — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 09:02:03 +0000

Trouwe bezoekers van onze website hebben ongetwijfeld reeds gemerkt dat de website van de bibliotheek onlangs helemaal vernieuwd is. Na de lancering van de Nederlandse site in januari, is nu ook de Engelstalige versie functioneel. Niet alleen werd er zeer veel praktische informatie (bv. bereikbaarheid, magazijnaavragen, reproductie, noodsituaties en een 2D-3D plan) en achtergrond informatie op onze website geplaatst, maar ook over de opbouw en structuur van de website is nagedacht. We hebben een steeds groter wordende verzameling van vaak gestelde vragen en een collectie van leuke feitjes over de bibliotheek. Een nieuwigheid is dat de contactgegevens altijd beschikbaar blijven in de linker navigatiekolom. Ook de LIMO zoekinterface blijft altijd bij de hand: ofwel op de pagina zelf ofwel in de linker kolom. In de rechterkolom vind je bovenaan een verzameling van nieuwsitems. Daaronder vind je links naar de meest bezochte pagina’s. Onder de snellinks hebben we de openingsuren geplaatst (met een visualisatie van de actuele bezetting en een link naar de sluitingsdata). Ten slotte is er een zoekvenster met live search functie om snel en efficiënt de gezochte informatie terug te vinden. Ook het veranderen van taal gaat zeer vlot: je wordt niet terug naar de startpagina geleid maar je krijgt meteen de corresponderende pagina in het Nederlands of het Engels.

Jouw mening telt

Jouw mening als websitebezoeker en als bibliotheekgebruiker is zeer belangrijk voor ons. Daarom hebben we verschillende formulieren aangemaakt om ons te contacteren, bestelsuggesties door te geven, vermiste boeken aan te geven of eventuele klachten te melden.

We wensen jou van harte veel surfplezier.

Opruimactie op vrijdag 16 maart – Friday March 16: Clean-Up Day

gjuhasz — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:57:34 +0000

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[English text below]

Op vrijdag 16 maart gaat de volgende opruimactie in onze bibliotheek door. Bij zulke opruimactie kijken we alle boeken op tafels, in carrels en in kantoren na.

Boeken zonder een zichtbare aanwijskaart of met onleesbare of onvolledige informatie worden weggenomen en terug in de rekken geplaatst. Ook boeken waarvan de maximum consultatieperiode is overschreden worden weggehaald en terug in de rekken geplaatst.

Bij deze willen we dus even herinneren aan de afspraken:

De maximum gebruikstermijnen:

boeken: max. 3 maanden
tijdschriften: 2 weken
werken uit de algemene consultatieruimte (plaatsingsnummers A behalve A05 en A06): 1 dag

Aanwijsformulieren

moeten volledig worden ingevuld.
Uw naam (voor- en achternaam) en tafelnummer moet leesbaar zijn
de gebruikstermijn moet een jaartal vermelden.

Voor sommigen zal deze actie misschien enig ongemak veroorzaken waarvoor we ons excuseren. We proberen alle overlast tot een minimum te beperken. De regelmatige opruimactie die we vier keer per jaar doen, is echter noodzakelijk om de kwaliteit van onze dienstverlening te kunnen handhaven en om de beschikbaarheid van alle boeken te allen tijde voor iedereen te kunnen waarborgen. Bij zulke acties komen lang vermiste en verloren geachtte boeken regelmatig opduiken.

Wij danken u alvast voor uw medewerking en begrip.

On Friday March 16, the next clean-up day will take place in the library. We will check all books on tables, in carrels and offices.

Books without a visible reference card or with illegible or incomplete information on the card will be removed and returned to the shelves. Also books for which the maximum consultation period has been exceeded, will be removed and returned to the shelves.

We would like to take the opportunity to remind you of the rules:

Maximum consultation period:

Books: three months
Journals and periodicals: two weeks
General reference works (Call numbers A, except A05 and A06): one day

Reference Cards:

Must be filled out completely and correctly
Your name (both first and last name) and the table number must be legible.
Always indicate the year when you fill out the duration of consultation.

We do apologize for any inconvenience this action may cause. We try to limit all inconveniences to a bare minimum. The regular clean-up days, which we organize four times a year, are essential to maintain the quality of our services and to ensure the availability of all the books for all users at any time. During such clean-up days missing and lost books show up regularly.
We thank you for your cooperation and for your understanding.

Verminderde dienstverlening op 7 maart – Limited Services on March 7

gjuhasz — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:19:28 +0000

Op woensdag 7 maart tijdens het Thomasfeest zal er in de bibliotheek verminderde dienstverlening zijn vanaf 12 uur. Dit betekent o.a. dat magazijnaanvragen maar tot 12 uur worden opgehaald.

On Wednesday, March 7 (Feast of St Thomas) the library will operate with limited services from 12 PM. This means e.g. that stack requests will be fetched only until 12 PM.