2. Fragments of the Bibliothèque nationale de France on Fragmentarium
Until now, the fragments of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) have never been systematically studied, and are inadequately described and often improperly cited. The sheer quantity of sources discouraged research. The emergence of fragmentology in recent years has given new impetus to identify and describe these fragments.
As in other libraries, in the Bibliothèque nationale, loose fragments in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries were often bound in fragment volumes (guard books). The BnF has no fewer than 41 such volumes, and these contain only a portion of their fragment holdings.
Thanks to the generous support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), now 29 fragment volumes have been carefully studied, and 16 of them have been scientifically described: at the moment 224 fragments have been published on Fragmentarium.
When asked about her experience leading the project in Paris in these difficult times, the Project director, Dr. Laura Albiero, said; “The closure of libraries and reading rooms certainly posed a challenge. Fortunately, we were able to manage with digital resources, and the BnF did what it could to ensure access to its treasures.”
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