Conventions on referencing manuscripts

Lemmata

Every article has a title (the lemma), and in tune with other wikis, the URL is identical with the lemma. In case of manuscripts, the lemma is composed of place name, holding institution, and shelf mark (e.g. Admont, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. 43). Consistency in designating manuscripts is generally a good idea, as it helps find manuscripts, to check arguments, and so on; in the context of a wiki such as the Clavis wiki, uniform lemmata also help to identify doublets, to spot erroneous shelf-marks, to faciliate searches and mass edits, and to make categories easiert to navigate.

What is a manuscript, anyhow?

Every manuscript should have one and only one article. Normally, this means that every codex is counted as one manuscript; in all doubtful cases, any fragment, codex, or multi-volume manuscript with its own shelf mark is seen as a distinct object, and hence can have its own article.

From this, it follows that disiecta membra have their individual entries; e.g. St. Paul im Lavanttal, Stiftsbibliothek, 6/1 and Karlsruhe, BLB, Aug. CIII were but one manuscript in the Middle Ages but today are kept in two libraries, and hence have separate articles. Vice versa, volumes composed of two or more medieval manuscripts like Arsenal 713 have only one entry. As for multi-volume manuscripts, the Clavis wiki follows the practice of the holding institution: if a two-volume manuscript like Vat. lat. 630 has only one shelf-mark, it is counted as one manuscript, if each volume as a separate shelf-mark as in the case of Pal. lat. 585 and Pal. lat. 586, they are treated as two manuscripts.

For codices disiecta, composite manuscripts, and multi-volume manuscripts, see the respective categories in Category:Manuscripts by codicological properties.

Previous collections and olim shelfmarks

References to manuscripts should always (not only in the lemma) be based on the current location of the manuscript and the current shelfmark. Previous collections and olim shelf marks can and should be mentioned in the article. In some cases, redirects are used so that users looking for manuscripts that have moved can easily find the correct article (and the current holding institution). For example, Wien, ÖNB, Cod. 16 redirects to Napoli, Biblioteca Nazionale, ex Vind. lat. 2.

Sometimes, it can be surprisingly difficult to establish what the current shelfmark is; such cases should be discussed in the respective article. Also, if a manuscript is referred to by erronous shelfmarks, this should be mentioned at least in more prominent cases, and if the error is wide-spread, a redirect page may be in order. See, foir example, the article on Torino, BNU, E.V.44 (including the redirect Torino, BNU, E.V.33).

Where the current location of a manuscript is unknown, the name and shelf mark in the collection the manuscript was kept in last is used for the sake of references, and information on its current whereabouts are provided in the article. The Cheltenham manuscripts are a special case; while those today in public libraries are listed under their current shelfmarks, those in private collections are routinely cited by their Phillipps numbers, so it sometimes makes sense to list them under "Cheltenham" (e.g. Cheltenham, Phillipps Collection, 17849).

Place names

Place names are generally in the local language, which in some multi-language countries can be mildly delicate to determine. Brussels and Luxembourg are treated as francophone for the purpose of this list, so it's Bruxelles (not Brussel) and Luxembourg (not Lëtzebuerg). Catalan cities are referenced in Catalan, hence La Seu d’Urgell, not Urgel, and so on. In Switzerland, place name follow the language actually spoken locally, although this of cources changes over time (so Sion, not Sitten). If in doubt, go for the more conventional name and leave a redirect for the other option.

In almost all cases, official names (and abbreviations) are used; the only exception from the latter rule is The Hague, which is rendered Den Haag (not 's-Gravenhage). Although Latin is the official language of the Vatican, it is referred to as Città del Vaticano, as common practice has it.

Names of holding institutions

For libraries and archives likewise the official names and abbreviations are used, which normally are in the local language. Efforts habe been taken to use the current name, so it's Archivio Apostolico (not Segreto), BnF (not BN), KBR (not Bibliothèque royale), the universities of Leiden and Gent have a universiteitsbibliotheek (but no longer are rijksuniversiteiten), and so on. See above for local languages in multi-language countries like Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, and Switzerland.

French local libraries, however, are always referred to as BM whatever the current designation may be (they tend to change every now and then). The article on libraries may be used to discuss multiple names and similar issues; identifiers such as ISIL codes in the infobox should help to ease the confusion.

Shelfmarks and proper names

All manuscripts are referenced by their current shelfmark in the Clavis Wiki; for olim shelfmarks, see above. Only the current shelfmark is part of the lemma, any other information can be discussed in the article itself.

The difference between shelfmark, accession number, and call number is normally irrelevant for our manuscript; catalogue numbers, which are sometimes used in scholarship to reference manuscripts, can and should be cited if this is common practice in the literature on the manuscript in question. Sometimes, catalogue numbers can be become call numbers, as in the case Bamberg.

As for the spelling, a sometimes frustrating variety can be observed (with or without "MS" and the like, with or without spaces, Roman vs arab numbers, capitalisation, degree of abbreviation, sometimes choice of language). Normally, we follow Kéry. If you are uncertain about the correct shelf mark, look at existing articles and/or the usage of the holding library. Again, redirects can help.

Some manuscripts are know by proper names, and many have sigla in the scholarly literature. Such information can be provided in the article; if proper names are widely spread, a redirect can be useful (e.g. Codex Aemilianensis), and if need be, a disambiguation site can be created.