INSTITUTE OF ENGLISH STUDIES, SCHOOL OF ADVANCED STUDY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BRITISH LIBRARY.

GRANTS in aid (Public finance); ONLINE library catalogs; MANUSCRIPT catalogs; BRITISH Library; UNIVERSITY of London; GREAT Britain. Arts & Humanities Research Board

This paper announces that a grant of £300,000 has been awarded to the Institute of English Studies, School of Advanced Study University of London in partnership with the British Library to produce the first ever digitally illustrated and searchable catalogue of western illuminated medieval and renaissance manuscripts held in the British Library's collections. The award has been made by the Arts and Humanities Research Board under the Resource Enhancement Scheme and runs for three years to February 2007. The main project started in March 2004 at the British Library in partnership with the Centre for Manuscript and Print Studies in the Institute of English Studies, University of London. A series of individual named collections will be covered by this phase of the project. Some of the books being catalogued are astounding works of art including items of international fame such as the 8th century Lindisfarne Gospels and the Sforza Hours made in Milan, Italy in the 15th century. Each manuscript will have an electronic description and will be illustrated by captioned images. The site includes thematic tours, some in the form of virtual exhibitions, introducing and exploring aspects of the manuscripts.