Summary Catalogue of the Additional Medieval Manuscripts in Cambridge University Library acquired before1940

摘要

in the title of a manuscripts catalogue is a reassuring sign. It suggests a practical, realistic approach to the prime task of broadening public access to a collection. The best Summary Catalogues, like this one, find the sweet spot between the teasing brevity of a handlist and the oppressive zeal of a full catalogue. They tend to be compiled by scholar-librarians over decades, rather than by specialists hired to beat deadlines. Working librarians may lack time to bore down deeply into the research, but build up a breadth of experience in sharing the manuscripts with readers. Subject-defined projects attract short-term grants, but Summary Catalogues are more often financed from libraries' own funds (here supported from Dr Dorothea Oschinsky's bequest of 1995). This licenses a more amorphous range, to encompass orphan manuscripts otherwise unclassifiable by subject. A truly exhaustive, specialist catalogue may effectively smother its contents for subsequent research. A summary cataloguer does not claim the last word, but opens the library doors.