1. Cultural events
   1. Exhibitions
   2. Virtual exhibitions
2. Collections and services
   1. Digital Libraries - Gallica
      1. Access to Gallica digital library
      2. Gallica Experiment: Offering Digital Documents
      3. Europeana
   2. Catalogs
      1. Access to the catalogue général de la BnF
      2. Access to the Union Catalog of France (CCFr)
      3. Access to BnF archives et manuscrits
      4. Access to Mandragore
      5. Access to the catalogue de La Joie par les Livres
      6. Information concerning online catalogs
   3. Collections and departments
      1. Arts
      2. Law, economics, politics
      3. Languages and literatures
      4. Book, press and media
      5. Science and technology
      6. Humanities, philosophy and religion
      7. Social sciences
      8. The departments
   4. Information retrieval aids
      1. Ask a librarian (SINDBAD)
      2. Guide de recherche en bibliothèque
      3. Bibliographies
   5. Reproduction services
      1. Reproduction Products and Fees
      2. How to order reproductions?
      3. Picture Collection
      4. Commercial use of documents
      5. For image professionals
      6. Contact and useful links
   6. Reader registration for the Research Library
3. The BnF
   1. Practical information
      1. How to find us ?
      2. Reading rooms opening hours
      3. Admission to the reading rooms and reader’s cards rates
      4. Reserving seats and documents
      5. Research library document release times
      6. Exhibition opening hours
      7. Exhibition fees
      8. Shops and Refreshment areas
   2. About the Library
      1. BnF archives
      2. BnF Presentation Space
      3. BnF in images
      4. Internet archive: forecast study
   3. Renovation work at Richelieu Library
      1. What's new?
      2. Consulting documents at Richelieu Library
      3. Why renovating Richelieu Library?
      4. Major phases of Richelieu renovation project
      5. The protagonists of Richelieu renovation project
4. Professionals
   1. Digital legal deposit
      1. International cooperation
      2. Four questions about Web Archiving
   2. ISSN, ISBN, other identifiers
      1. Other international identifiers
   3. Cataloging and indexing
      1. Description and access
      2. Formats and encoding
      3. Data exchange protocols
      4. Modelling and Ontologies
      5. Authorities
   4. BnF data services
      1. BnF data sets
      2. Tools for downloading BnF data sets
   5. National cooperation
      1. Creating a national network
      2. CCFr and collection referencing
      3. Regional cooperation
      4. Gallica, shared digitization
      5. Cultural cooperation
   6. International activities
      1. International news
      2. “Profession Culture”
      3. International residencies and internships
      4. International bodies
      5. Partnerships
   7. Digitization
      1. Select : digitization policy and programs
      2. Digitization process
      3. Preservation: the SPAR project
      4. Online availability: access to digital resources
   8. Preservation
      1. Preservation at BnF
      2. Emergency plan
      3. Preservation and expertise
      4. Practical information sheets
      5. Training
      6. International PAC/IFLA program
5. Resources
   1. Host an event and filming
   2. Visitors with disabilities

• Digital Libraries - Gallica
• Catalogs
• Collections and departments
  • Arts
  • Law, economics, politics
  • Languages and literatures
  • Book, press and media
    • Internet archives
    • Sound archives
    • Young people
    • World of books and libraries
    • Multimedia
    • Press
    • Radio and television
  • Science and technology
  • Humanities, philosophy and religion
  • Social sciences
  • The departments
• Information retrieval aids
• Reproduction services
• Reader registration for the Research Library

See also

• Histoire de la BnF

Digital resources

Ressources électroniques (tous publics)

Catalogs

• Catalogue général de la BnF
• Catalogues imprimés

Where to consult the documents ?

• Manuscripts Department
• Arsenal Library

Ask a librarian

SINDBAD is a free virtual reference service providing document references and factual information. Ask a librarian (SINDBAD)

The world of books and libraries

• From publishing to the bookstore
• Illuminated and painted manuscripts
• Rare books
• Reading and libraries
• Publications about BnF
• Bibliographic research tools
• Iconography

Illuminated and painted manuscripts

Coronation of a prince (possibly Charles the Bald) between two clergymen.

© BnF

The Manuscripts Department’s western and eastern collections include a large number of manuscripts with miniatures. By virtue of their great variety and iconographic interest, these images make up a veritable visual encyclopedia of their time. The major topics covered are history, Christianity (illustrated historical Bibles), Saint Augustine, and literature represented by the Romance of the Round Table.

Important artists include Guiard des Moulins, Jean Colombe, artist at the court of Queen Charlotte of Savoie, the Master Alderman, active among the Rouen bourgeoisie in the third quarter of the 15th century, and Evrard d’Espinques, illuminator of Jacques d’Armagnac, Duke of Nemours.

Digital resources

• Bibliothèque numérique Gallica - Manuscrits
• Mandragore , the Manuscripts Department’s database of iconographic materials
• Les Signets de la BnF - Manuscrits enluminés et peints
• Europeana Regia , digital library of collections of royal manuscripts

See

• Les vidéos des Trésors du patrimoine écrit
• 
  Le manuscrit des Faits d'Alexandre de Quinte-Curce, traduit par Vasque de Lucène (1468)
  durée : 5 min 31 s
• 
  Le Livre des tournois (français 2695)
  durée : 5 min 59 s
• 
  Homélies de Grégoire de Naziance
  durée : 4 min 29 s
• 
  Un album de portraits royaux : le « livre d’heures » de Catherine de Médicis
  durée : 4 min 26 s

The Arsenal Library (Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal) holds more than a thousand illuminated manuscripts, most of which are in Latin or French, arising from the Marquis of Paulmy’s collections and revolutionary confiscations. For example, it has fine liturgical painted manuscripts as well as a large number of 15th century chivalric novels. Also among its most famous manuscripts are those from the library of the Dukes of Burgundy, the Evangelistary of Saint Aure (9th century), and the Psalter of Saint Louis (13th century).

For more info

Histoire du livre : fonds spécifiques
Fonds spécifiques en histoire du livre conservés à la Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal

Friday, May 11, 2012