Abstract
The article takes an in-depth look at the origins and development of the Vatican Library, and its collections of manuscripts, acknowledging their significance for today: the future of yesterday and the past of tomorrow. The determined will of Pope Nicholas V opened the doors of the Vatican Library around 1451; his successors, up to today, have heeded his founding maxim: ‘for the common convenience of learned men’, through the centuries of organization, re-organization, and development. Today the Vatican Library is one of the greatest and most important repositories of manuscripts in the world. As we are confronted with the responsibility to preserve, to keep alive and to pass on that which we have received, we have to find the right balance between use and preservation. In this search, modern technologies can provide a pursuable path which would render a ‘sustainable development’ possible. The article considers the manuscripts from the point of view of new electronic technology, which allows for better access to information, for better scientific study and for better preservation of the manuscripts. The combination of computer programs and human ingenuity provide opportunity, as well as ample challenge to distinguish valuable from unfounded information, for present and future generations to experience, anywhere in the world, a library as a place to interact with others of different regions and times, a place to grow, to participate and contribute to the cultural growth of humanity, a place, ultimately, of freedom.
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