Centered in the American Midwest, the Peripheral Manuscripts Project seeks to promote the awareness and use of pre-1600 Latin alphabet manuscripts and non-Western manuscripts from all periods. To accomplish this goal, we work to create community among manuscript-holding institutions, particularly in our region, to facilitate information sharing and sustain current and future research, teaching and outreach. We provide support to partner institutions in digitizing and descriptive labor when needed to ensure discoverability of their manuscript holdings. And we coordinate with other national and international initiatives to yield a more comprehensive understanding of North American manuscript holdings.
In all of our interactions, we value the knowledge and perspectives of each participant and approach collaborative relationships with the understanding that all members contribute meaningfully to the continued strength and success of our project. We additionally embrace the open sharing of data across individuals, institutions, and initiatives, recognizing that we have the greatest impact and our efforts will be most sustainable when we work collaboratively to elevate the awareness and study of manuscript items among regional, national, and global audiences.
We are grateful to be supported in our work by an Advisory Board, launched in 2025.
Advisory Board Mission
The Advisory Board of the Peripheral Manuscripts Project, alongside core project team leaders, is committed to supporting the Project’s mission and to ensuring that project work aligns with the stated values of collaboration, information sharing, community building, and advocacy for manuscript studies in North America. Board composition should reflect diverse institutional and disciplinary perspectives so that project work can meaningfully speak to researchers, librarians, instructors, and community members across the Midwest.
Advisory Board Members, 2025-Present
Ian Cornelius, Edward L. Surtz, S. J., Associate Professor of English at Loyola University Chicago
Christopher Fletcher, Assistant Director of the Center for Renaissance Studies, The Newberry Library
Br. John Glasenapp, Assistant Professor of Liturgical Music and Medieval Studies, Archabbey, Seminary and School of Theology
Joshua Mugler, Curator of Islamic Manuscripts, Hill Museum and Manuscript Library
Dot Porter, SIMS Curator of Digital Humanities, University of Pennsylvania
Anne Ryckbost, University Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, Xavier University
Marianna Stell, Reference Librarian, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress
