Don't judge a book by its dust infocus #78 June 2025

DOI: 10.22443/rms.inf.1.291

Manuscripts and Special Collections at the University of Nottingham holds over 800 years of historical material that tells the stories of Nottinghamshire’s people, land, and estates. Among this, the Wollaton Library Collection houses rare medieval texts, once part of the private library of Wollaton Hall, a stately home just a short walk from the University’s main campus.

Caring for Medieval manuscripts is a real privilege and provides opportunities to find out more about the historic practices of writing, reading, and creating. This is where there is exciting potential for microscopy to reveal new insights into the material, not just informing archives’ conservation activities, but also telling us about the people, places and practices of textual production that have shaped the world we live in and provide inspiration for future generations.