Łódź occupies and captivates me... Selected manuscripts collections of the University of Łódź Library as the sources for the history of Łódź and the region at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries

Abstract

The article is a review of selected manuscripts collections from the turn of the 19^th and 20^th centuries concerning Łódź and the region, from the resources of the University of Łódź Library. The university library, entered into the scientific landscape of the city since 1945, has been collecting documents of particular value to the academic community since the beginning of its existence – these are special collections: cimelia, documents of social life, iconography, cartography, musical documents, manuscripts and old prints collections. Due to the place and circumstances of their creation, physical features, the subject matter (everyday life, events of special importance, image of the city), as well as the author (diverse in terms of age, environment, education, etc.), the handwritten Lodziana – private, official, professional and social group documents are a valuable source for research in the field of humanities. The article provides answers to the questions: to what extent the handwritten notes from Łódź collected in BUŁ supplement the current state of knowledge about Łódź and the region from the turn of the 19^th and 20^th centuries, and what role they play in popularizing the Library's resources and the history of the city and the region.