How the Secularization of Religious Houses Transformed the Libraries of Europe

The Bodleian Libraries, Centre for the Study of the Book, presents a three-day conference:

How the Secularization of Religious Houses Transformed the Libraries of Europe

Oxford, 22-24 March 2012

The dissolution of religious houses transformed both the physical and intellectual spaces in which books and manuscripts were held.  The process broke the Church's earlier dominance in learning and libraries.

All of Europe felt these changes between the 16th and 19th centuries, but the results were different in each country. In some cases libraries were scattered or destroyed; in other cases books were taken over as state property. This was an epochal change, affecting thousands of libraries and millions of books, and it transformed the shape of libraries and widened access to heritage books. It increased turnover in the book-market, opened a new interest in collecting books, and fostered the growth of public libraries. 

This conference draws together international scholars to examine, for the first time in comparative perspective, the impact that the secularization of libraries had on the intellectual patrimony of Europe.

For registration information and to see the full list of speakers and themes, visit:

http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/csb/MigrationofKnowledge.htm