Manuscript Collection and National Literary Archive

The manuscript collection holds the Slovenian written cultural heritage. The medieval collection comprises over 120 individual items, including the Stična manuscript, written in the Slovenian language, and a collection of fragments. The largest and most comprehensive is the collection of Latin manuscripts from the 9th to the end of the 15th century. Of great importance are also the medieval manuscripts from the collections of the Slavonic scholar Jernej Kopitar and Baron Žiga Zois, written in Cyrillic and Glagolitic script. In addition to bound manuscripts from the period of humanism, renaissance and baroque, the collection of modern manuscripts also includes manuscripts of Slovenian folk literature and publications with autographs. The majority of the collection consists of the legacies and archives of the Slovenian poets and writers, as well as linguists, translators, historians and other cultural creators.

Activity:

Management of the collection of medieval manuscripts and the central national manuscript collection of modern written cultural heritage, with a particular focus on the literary estates of Slovenian authors:

• monitoring domestic and international availability of rare and valuable materials of national significance and contributing to acquisition policy planning;
• bibliographic processing of materials and metadata management;
• ensuring the safe and long-term preservation of materials;
• selecting and preparing materials and content for the Digital Library of Slovenia and other online portals;
• contributing to the development and establishment of the Slovenian humanities and heritage data space;
• providing professional assistance in the use of special collections materials and expert guidance in locating materials;
• cooperating with the academic community;
• preparing professional background materials (analyses, recommendations, guidelines, instructions) as well as professional and scholarly publications;
• guiding the development of professional activities in accordance with international standards, guidelines, recommendations, and instructions;
• establishing and developing the National Literary Archive;
• carrying out research, development, educational, exhibition, and promotional activities within the scope of its work.

Information and Responsibility: