An outline of the protection and popularization of 19th-century manuscripts. Based on the example of the project "Manuscript Cultural Heritage 1791–1918 in the Collections of the University of Lodz Library"

Abstract

The article presents the aims achieved in the project "Manuscript Cultural Heritage 1791–1918 in the Collections of the University of Lodz Library" and the collection of 19th-century manuscripts from the University of Lodz Library, which were the subject of the project. The collection contained manuscripts diverse in terms of form, genre, language (texts in Polish, Russian, French, Latin), style, and themes. Manuscripts from the 19th century and the borderlands perpetuate the memory of important events in Polish history (the May 3rd Constitution, the November and January Uprisings, post-uprising repression, the Great Emigration, the Spring of Nations, and World War I). They are a testimony to everyday life, customs, and social sentiment, and also document the activities of authorities, offices, and organizations. The aim of the article is to answer the question of what significance the activities undertaken within the project had for the effective and lasting protection of the collections, their popularization and for the Library as an institution collecting various types of collections, including 19th-century handwritten sources.