Old prints
The term "old prints" refers to printed matter from 1501 to around 1850, the beginning marking the end of the incunabula period and the end the start of industrial mass production.
For the Handbook of Historical Book Holdings, published in 1990, the historical stocks of German libraries were counted or estimated according to a predefined pattern. The results for the HLSB still allocate a certain degree of uncertainty due to the lack of more recent counts.
Accordingly, the HLSB owns
- over 3,600 volumes from the 16th century
- over 5,600 volumes from the 17th century
- over 7,800 volumes from the 18th century
- almost 19,000 titles from the 19th century (school programmes are not included here)
Use:
The use of old prints is only possible in the reading room at the Heinrich-von-Bibra-Platz location. For volumes from the 16th century, please register in advance.
Dealing with arsenic-contaminated books from the 19th century in the HLSB
In the 19th century, arsenic compounds were used to colour book edges and bindings. This only affects some of the books from this period. There are also books from the 19th century in the HLSB that may be contaminated with arsenic. According to the current state of knowledge, the potential health risk posed by these library items is considered to be low. The HLSB will therefore continue to make the books available for use and will continue to monitor the investigations on this topic so that measures can be adapted if necessary. The HLB recommends avoiding contact between hands and nose, mouth and eyes while using the stock and washing hands after use. It is also advisable to wear gloves when using the 19th century stocks. Gloves are provided at all service desks and in the reading room.
Kontakt
