Published before 1501, the first printed editions, known as incunabula, first captured the interest of booklovers, researchers, and librarians three centuries ago. Today, knowledge of the output from these first fifty years is more widespread as a result of national and international bibliographical research. An inventory of some 30,000 incunabular books has been compiled, representing around fifty million copies that circulated over a period of roughly fifty years. This summer school aims to increase the participants' awareness of the issues surrounding the description, cataloguing and digitisation of incunabula. It is intended to highlight the interest of a scientific approach, for example by focussing on the conditions in which they were produced and on their content, as well as by reconstructing their journey to the present day through the study of their bindings and marks of origin.

 

Target Audience

• Students: any French or international student who will hold a Master’s degree (minimum) by the beginning of the 2015-2016 academic year, or who can demonstrate similar research experience
• Specialist librarians: this training course can be included in the training programme of the institution or the organisation with which you are affiliated

 

• Basic knowledge of Latin recommended. Course given in French.
• Please bring a laptop computer.
• Active participation: each participant will present his or her research and its context on the Tuesday afternoon with a poster as a visual aid, to be prepared in advance (minimum A3 size recommended, or a montage on a larger sheet). Notice boards will be available for participants.

 

 

The course, accommodation and meals are completely free of charge for students. Travel costs as well as meals on Monday evening and Saturday noon are at the participants' expense.

 

This summer course is organised by the Médiathèques d'Orléans in partnership with the Centre d’Études supérieures de la Renaissance of Tours and the Equipex Biblissima.The digitisation of the Catalogues Régionaux des Incunables (Regional Catalogues of Incunabula) is undertaken by the CESR, at the initiative and with the support of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Communication, and as part of the Equipex Biblissima (Biblissima partner project CRIICO (2015) — Equipex Biblissima — ANR-11-EQPX-0007).