This thesis studies a Middle Dutch Book of Hours which was copied in 1498 and illuminated in 1499 for Aef van Bolgerien, an inhabitant of Beverwijk, and which is currently preserved in the Special...Show moreThis thesis studies a Middle Dutch Book of Hours which was copied in 1498 and illuminated in 1499 for Aef van Bolgerien, an inhabitant of Beverwijk, and which is currently preserved in the Special Collections of Leiden University Libraries under the shelfmark BPL 2747. While several aspects of this manuscript have already received scholarly attention (in particular its colophon and decoration), this thesis presents a first comprehensive study into the history and contents of the codex. It focuses in particular on the way(s) in which the book was customized for the use by Aef van Bolgerien. Books of Hours were often made to order, meaning their contents could be adjusted to the preferences of the comissioner. As a result, while Books of Hours are the most surviving type of texts from the Middle Ages, they show great variety among them. As the selection of additional prayers in particular is specific to each copy, they offer insight into both the relgious practice of the first owner and, in general, into the practice of customising Books of Hours. For this reason, the eleven additional prayers contained in BPL 2747 were chosen to be transcribed and edited as part of the thesis. In the first chapter, the historical developments surrounding the production and use of the Book of Hours are discussed, focussing on developments in lay religious culture, the Devotio Moderna, and the vernacular translation of the Hours that was created in this context. The second chapter introduces the manuscript central to the study, BPL 2747, and provides insight into elements such as the materiality, provenance and decorations of the book. The third chapter contains a transcription of the prayers separate from the Hours. The final chapter, chapter 4, adresses the dissemination of the prayers and what they may tell us about van Bolgerien’s devotional practice.Show less
This research aimed to study the effects of the Second World War on the Koninklijke Bibliotheek. The effects of the cultural politics imposed by the Nazis were considered, including censorship for...Show moreThis research aimed to study the effects of the Second World War on the Koninklijke Bibliotheek. The effects of the cultural politics imposed by the Nazis were considered, including censorship for libraries. In addition, the effects of the threat of air raids were examined, such as the measures the library took to safeguard their collection. Finally, the many effects of the war on the functioning of library services and activities are analysed in this study.Show less
We examine in detail the FAIR Guiding Principles, what they are, why they were created, as well as highlight the difference between Linked Open Data and FAIR. We then give an overview of the...Show moreWe examine in detail the FAIR Guiding Principles, what they are, why they were created, as well as highlight the difference between Linked Open Data and FAIR. We then give an overview of the current environment of humanities scholarship, paying particular attention to the Digital Humanities and book history. We explore some of the reasons that the implementation of FAIR is significantly slower in the Humanities compared to the Sciences or Social Sciences by highlighting some of the challenges faced by humanities scholars in terms of producing and quantifying digital research data that is also easily findable and reusable, while taking time to discuss issues found in all disciplines such as IP, copyright, and privacy laws, as well as issues concerning authenticity, authority, trust, verification, and uncertainty relevant to open-source platforms and digital assets. A case study is then presented using a database that was created using information from the original book catalogue and cashbooks from the Bibliotheca Thysiana, a seventeenth-century library located in Leiden, The Netherlands. After analyzing the quality of the data from the Thysiana based on the requirements of the FAIR Principles, we then utilize the steps in the FAIRification Process by applying each to the database one at a time, highlighting any challenges along the way. Finally, we conclude with thoughts and criticisms on the feasibility of the application of FAIR onto a humanities database, suggesting that it is indeed a guide that can be implemented practically in the field of book history, yet not without some challenges and forethought.Show less
During an internship project at the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (the National Library of the Netherlands; KB) in The Hague the library’s Special Collections’ department requested a project be set up to...Show moreDuring an internship project at the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (the National Library of the Netherlands; KB) in The Hague the library’s Special Collections’ department requested a project be set up to examine the catalogue objects then described only as ‘collections’. Previous digitization projects had shown that these collections often contained prints or Plano’s that had remained uncatalogued as individual objects. The goal for this Plano project was to find and identify the objects in these collections and add them to the library’s catalogue as new, individual entities. During the first stages of the project over 2500 individual prints were discovered to be part of these ‘collection’ catalogue objects. Among these were eight folders of collected materials accompanied by handwritten notes and indexes. These folders were identified as the work of historian Georges-Joseph Gérard (1734-1814). This thesis argues that the eight folders are a part of Gérard’s planned Monumenta Historiae Belgicae project, a large-scale project with the intention of collecting all available source material on the history of the Southern Netherlands. Was the project important enough for Gérard to cut prints out of undamaged books, or did he acquire the source materials through other methods? The folders from the KB show that Gérard was not only an avid note-taker, but also a collector of prints.Show less
