The message below, relayed through IFLA, is quite disturbing. This library (Badische Landesbibliothek, Karlsruhe) contains, as well as the items mentioned, at least 20 Arabic and Turkish MSS, including documents relating to the Ottoman statesman Osman Pasha. Can anyone shed any light on their likely fate?
Geoffrey Roper
London
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From: Magda Bouwens [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 03 October 2006 09:34
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [IFLA-L] International librarians concerned about manuscripts of Baden-Württemberg
Media release
3 October 2006
International librarians concerned about manuscripts of Baden-Württemberg
Dr Alex Byrne, President of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), expressed dismay when he heard of the planned sale of the manuscripts of the House of Baden by the provincial government of Baden-Württemberg.
He said: "The international library and archival community is shocked to hear of the proposal of the Government of Baden-Württemberg to sell all the works acquired before 1872 - some 3500 out of a total of 4200 volumes - from the manuscript collection of the Badische Landesbibliothek in Karlsruhe. This incomparable collection includes major treasures taken from monasteries in 1803 and documents a thousand years of commerce and cultural development in Europe. It is not only a treasure for Baden-Württemberg and Germany but part of the world heritage. It must be protected."
The collection includes prachtmanuscripts, an illuminated Book of Hours belonging to Archduke Christoph I of Baden (1490), the prayer book of Susanna von Brandenburg-Ansbach-Kulmbach medieval lectionaries from the scriptorium of the monastery at Reichenau, and the Gospel of St. Peter (ca. 1200). The majority of manuscripts come from the libraries of monasteries in the Black Forest, the Upper-Rhine, and Lake Constance and most were acquired when the monastic libraries were expropriated following secularisation in 1803. They record the development of religion and society in the region.
It is understood that the sale is intended to finance the preservation of the Salem castle, the last castle of the house of Baden, and its ongoing maintenance. While this is desirable, it must not be done at the expense of this important collection of manuscripts.
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions calls on the Government of Baden-Württemberg to abandon this proposal and renew its commitment to the preservation of the history of Baden-Württemberg as documented in the manuscript collection of the Badische Landesbibliothek.
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions is the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the library and information profession. http://www.ifla.org <http://www.ifla.org/> .
Contact:
Dr Alex Byrne, IFLA President, Tel +61 2 9514 1465, Email [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Dr Peter Lor, IFLA Secretary General, Tel +31 70 31 40 884, Email [log in to unmask]
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