Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, Digital manuscript preservation center in Collegeville, United States.
The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library is a manuscript preservation center in Collegeville that houses over 450,000 digitized documents. The institution provides access to materials from approximately 800 libraries worldwide through its searchable database.
This institution was founded in 1965 on the Saint John's University campus in response to manuscript losses during the World Wars. The project began by microfilming approximately 30,000 Austrian documents to protect them for future generations.
The collection houses the Saint John's Bible alongside manuscripts from medieval times that represent many different cultures and religious traditions. Visitors can see how various communities preserved their most important written works by hand.
The building is housed in a Marcel Breuer structure and is open to visitors Monday through Friday. There is no admission charge, though it is helpful to check hours in advance and confirm whether a visit needs to be arranged beforehand.
The museum carries out digitization projects in conflict zones to rescue cultural works from countries like Iraq, Syria, and Ethiopia. This work allows at-risk treasures to be secured before they disappear forever.
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