ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries December 1990 / 1039 A great humanist library celebrates 5 0 0 years of survival By Zsuzsa Koltay Reference Librarian Bowling Green State University The Bibliotheca Corviniana is reassembled in Budapest. A major event in library history took place this year in B udapest, H ungary. T he remnants of the Bibliotheca Corviniana, t mous Renaissance library o f King Matthias of Hungary, were brought together to the most com­ plete extent ever attem pted. Out of an estimated 3,000 volumes in the king’s library, only 216 m anu­ scripts and incunabula survive. Almost two-thirds of those were lent by libraries and museums in 14 countries to help com memorate the 500th anniver­ sary of the king’s death. People debate the merits of Matthias (Matyas) Corvinus— so nam ed for the raven in his crest— as a politician, but everyone agrees that he was a “friend of the muses,” an enlightened patron of humanist thought and art whose knowledge of languages and love of reading were legendary. More than an impressive show of power and wealth, his library was the best and most complete humanist library outside Italy. Humanism found its inspiration in the works of classical antiquity, accepting them as the source of virtually all knowledge and values. Accordingly, humanist libraries were primarily in the business of obtaining and preserving as many Greek and Latin sources as their resources or ingenuity allowed. It was no different with the Bibliotheca Corviniana, which built up an imposing collection of sources surviving from antiquity, covering all subjects from he philosophy, theology, historiography, philology, law, and literature, to military science, ethics, afrac­hitecture, and the natural sciences. It was espe­ cially well known for the wealth of its Greek lan­ guage materials. The library occupied two vaulted rooms over­ looking the D anube in the royal palace of Buda, next to the chapel. The interior was lavish: gilt shelves on all sides of the rooms, and the king’s sofa, covered with a gilt spread, situated between stained glass windows. The books were fastened to the shelves with silver chains. Each volume was mas­ terfully bound in gilt leather or velvet and bore a miniature of the royal coat of arms, a shield divided into four fields and, in the middle, the arms of the Hunyadi family, a black raven on a blue ground. Although printing was already in use, most of the volumes were illuminated manuscripts. Matthias acquired them from several sources. Some he in­ herited from his royal predecessors; some he con­ fiscated from the collections of disgraced nobles; others he purchased in Italy or ordered specially through his agents. To supplem ent and adorn his collection, he employed copiers and illuminators in the Buda castle. Not only did the king take an active role in the acquisition of materials, he also created a center for humanist scholarship in Buda. H e commissioned 1040 / C&RL News chronicles and histories and attracted to his court famous humanists like Bandini, whose symposia the king him self attended. His ties with Italian humanism becam e even stronger after his m ar­ riage to the daughter of the king of Naples. He also did his best to prom ote reading among his noble­ men. H e employed Taddeo Ugoleto as his librarian and asked Naldus Naldius to prepare a panegyric that was essentially a poetic library catalog. This active intellectual life in the Buda castle came to a sudden end with Matthias’ untimely death in 1490. His successors, Wladislas II and Louis II, were both unfit for and uninterested in carrying on the humanist tradition. Not only were there no new acquisitions for the Bibliotheca Cor- COPAR newsletters back in print The Washington, D.C.-Maryland-Virginia chapter of the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) announces the reprint­ ing of the Newsletters of the Comm ittee for the Preservation o f Architectural Records (CO­ PAR), 1974-1985, both series complete, to­ gether with an original index. A valuable addi­ tion to any collection of art and architecture periodicals, the indexed reprint edition will also serve as a reference tool to locate collections of architectural records throughout the United States and to some extent abroad. It is available on acid-free paper either gathered in a plastic binder or left unbound and ready for perm a­ nent binding. Prices: $20.00 bound, $23.00 u n ­ bound. O rder (with check payable to ARLIS/ DC/MD/VA) from: Marilyn Wassman, 2109 Charleston Place, Hyattsville, MD 20783. Historical photos on microfiche The C enter for Southwest Research, G en­ eral Library, University of New Mexico is mak­ ing available at cost two sets of historical photo­ graphs on microfiche and accompanying in­ dexed finding guides. The Cobb Memorial C ollection includes over 800 photographs documenting life in and around Albuquerque, New Mexico from 1870 to 1940. The H enry A. Schmidt Collection consists of some 1,200 ex­ cellent photographs of frontier life in the min­ ing towns of southern New Mexico from 1890 to 1924. Guides contain descriptive item-level records and are indexed for subjects, photogra­ pher, locale, and identified persons. Cost of each set is $30. This project was carried out with a grant from the National Historical Publica­ tions and Records Commission. For orders or information, write or call (505) 277-7170. viniana, but a num ber of volumes were given away or “lent out” to interested visitors, with predictably harmful consequences to the integrity of the collec­ tion. Nevertheless, this carelessness proved to be a blessing, for it was those volumes that had the best chance to survive. Much of the collection was destroyed or carried off to Constantinople by the O ttom an Turks, who invaded Buda in 1526. Fires, natural disasters, and wars further deci­ m ated the collection over the next 450 years. Today the 216 surviving volumes are scattered all over the world in various museums and libraries. History prevented the Bibliotheca Corviniana from b e ­ coming the core of a national library, but King M atthias’ cultural legacy survives in fragments. ■ ■ New PR brochure available “Academic Libraries: Your Campus Infor­ mation Service,” a brochure introducing aca­ dem ic library services, is available from ALA’s Graphics D epartm ent. The three-color pam ­ phlet was prepared for ACRL by Edward G. Holley and Barbara B. Moran of the University of North Carolina. It describes the role of the librarian in helping academic users identify, locate, use, and evaluate information sources; special programs and services; and the future role of academic libraries. “Although every institution of higher learn­ ing has a library, not everyone in academia has a very sophisticated sense of what librarians do,” says ACRL past president William A. Moffett. “One of our most persistent challenges is to develop a clearer vision of our role and con­ vey it persuasively and compellingly to others.” The brochure is available in 50-copy packets for $10 from ALA Graphics, 50 E. H uron St., Chicago, IL 60611-2795. It may also be or­ dered by calling toll-free (800) 545-2433, then pressing 8. The item num ber is A130. ALANET celebrates its 7th ALANET, ALA’s electronic com m unica­ tions system, is celebrating its 7th year of serv­ ice by extending a 2-for-l deal to extend the service to more librarians. W hen two cooperat­ ing libraries subscribe to ALANET for the first time, each library will pay half of the usual sub­ scription rate. ALANET offers subscribers ac­ cess to nearly 900 databases and news services including UPI, AIDS Daily Summary, and Dow Jones. For more details, call Rob Carlson, ALANET Systems Manager, at (800) 545- 2433, ext. 4392, or write to him at ALA, 50 E. H uron St., Chicago, IL 60611.