Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS) invites applications for a
PD position within the project ‘Libraries as Links in Learning: Making the Meaning of Manuscripts (LLLMMM)’ (0,8 fte, 2 years)
The Postdoctoral researcher will be working within the multi-member research project ‘Libraries as Links in Learning: Making the Meaning of Manuscripts’, which explores how libraries in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries treated, promoted, and circulated their medieval manuscript collections. The project, which will examine this theme through the lens of the holdings of Leiden University Library (UB), is headed by two PI’s (Dr Irene O’Daly and Dr Bram Caers), and a PhD student (Lisa Lenderink).
The project
The nineteenth century heralded a new age in the professionalisation of the library sector. The project breaks new ground by examining the fate of Western medieval manuscript collections within this context of library professionalisation. It investigates how libraries mediated and facilitated knowledge exchange around the manuscript. It queries the role played by libraries in constructing the medieval manuscript as a subject of material as well as textual study – as a powerful signifier of institutional intellectual capital – but also as a fragile and non-fungible object, monetarily valuable and collectable. By positioning libraries as a nexus of scholarly exchange, we interrogate their role in abstract processes such the canonisation of textual carriers, while recognising the material realities inherent in preserving and making accessible the manuscripts themselves.
The project investigates the abstract and actual position of manuscript collections within one context: the professionalisation of Leiden’s University Library, focusing on the period from c. 1819 to c. 1939. We focus on the Western medieval manuscript collections of Leiden, which played a significant role in constructing the authority of the Library within the context of the scholarly networks of this period – such as rich holdings of the Vossius collection, or the manuscripts deposited by the Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde.
To analyse the varied uses of and attitudes towards the medieval manuscript collections the project members will gather data regarding personages (scholars, librarians), objects (published outputs derived from the study of manuscripts, facsimiles, photos) and sites (the physical building, the institutional context in which the Library operated). By collecting this type of information in a relational database, the project will allow to reconstruct and analyse the environments in which manuscripts were consulted, circulated, and canonised.
PD position: Canonisation of medieval manuscripts within a network of scholarly exchange
In institutional medieval manuscript collections, some manuscripts will often be regarded as more important than others, whether that is on account of their content, their age, their importance in scholarship, etc. This status can be reflected in restricted access, specific instructions for storage, handling or loans, prioritised conservation or digitisation, and so forth. While all of these measures seemingly reflect modern-day decisions to safeguard literary heritage, the status of manuscripts was often established in the course of the nineteenth century, when scholarly interest in medieval manuscripts intensified. Within the broader project ‘Libraries as Links in Learning: Making the Meaning of Medieval Manuscripts’, the postdoctoral researcher will shed light on how this process of canonisation worked, and the degree to which libraries were agents within this project.
Building on, and adding to, the relational database that is the core of the project, the postdoctoral researcher will trace how libraries facilitated the process of canonising the status of certain medieval manuscripts. They will depart from the question of why certain manuscripts were regarded more highly than others and how a manuscript’s (or group of manuscripts’) status relates to their content, age, materiality, and provenance. They will explore how libraries influenced such canonization, through making the materials accessible, circulating the manuscripts to other institutions, facilitating editorial and publishing projects, and even exhibiting the manuscripts.
Through archival research as well as a qualitative analysis of scholarship surrounding specific manuscript case studies, the postdoctoral researcher will look into how the esteem of certain manuscripts was constructed in an interplay between library practices, scholarly interest, collection, curatorial and sales policies.
With an aim to stimulate collaborative research by project members and future scholars, the postdoc will be responsible for collecting and entering relevant data into the project’s shared data model, permitting relational analysis of the scholarly and professional networks that developed around the manuscript. They will build on and expand the available data and explore possibilities for visualisation and quantitative analysis.
We encourage candidates to develop their own focus concerning the western medieval manuscript collection held at Leiden, departing from their own expertise. We would be particularly interested in receiving applications from students willing to work on the Middle Dutch and medieval Latin collections - both of which were the subject of intense study and interest in the period in question.
Key responsibilities
- You will contribute to the project’s bibliographical and relational database by collecting and entering relevant metadata from the UB archives and holdings, and other relevant sources;
- You will conduct research on the canonisation of medieval manuscripts within Leiden’s University Library (in comparison to its wider European scholarly context);
- You will publish two articles in peer-reviewed journals, and will contribute to an edited volume synthesising the project’s scholarly findings
- You will participate in regular meetings of the project research group;
- You will present at least 2 papers at conferences, both in the Netherlands and internationally;
- You will participate in the research community and the intellectual life of the Institute (Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society, LUCAS), in which you will become an active member of the Medieval and Early Modern cluster (MEM);
- You will contribute to the organisation of outreach activities within the project.
- Subject to progress and demand, you will do some teaching, in line with your expertise and prior experience.
Your profile
- You hold a PhD degree in History, Historical Literature, Classical Studies, Digital Humanities, Book History, Library Studies (with relevant specialisation), awarded by time of appointment;
- You have an interest in the history of the humanities, and a willingness to conduct archival research and the study of material text witnesses of literary history
- You have experience with or are willing to learn about relational databases and Linked Data;
- You have full professional working proficiency in English and/or Dutch (speaking, writing, reading) and working knowledge of Latin, German, French, and/or other European languages.
- You are a team player and independent thinker;
- International candidates are encouraged to apply but must be willing to relocate to the Netherlands for the duration of the project.
The organisation
The Faculty of Humanities at Leiden University is a unique international centre for the advanced study of languages, cultures, arts, and societies worldwide, in their historical contexts from prehistory to the present. Our faculty is home to more than 6,000 students and 800 staff members. For more information see: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/humanities.
The Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS) is one of the seven Academic Institutes of the Faculty of Humanities. The institute hosts a range of academic disciplines, clustered around a key research theme: the relationships between the arts and society. Our members study cultural production over the course of two millennia, from classical antiquity to our contemporary world, and teach in programmes ranging from Classics and Book History to Modern Literature, International Studies and Art History. Strengthened by our diversity, LUCAS members are uniquely placed to study the broad concept of the arts, with its rapidly changing ideas, aesthetics, and theories of cultural production. Through research, teaching and outreach, the Institute aims to deepen our understanding, both inside and outside academia, of the cognitive, historical, cultural, creative, and social aspects of human life.
As an academic community, we strive to create an open and welcoming atmosphere, stimulating everyone to get involved and contribute, and connecting scholars from different fields and backgrounds.
Terms and conditions
PD project, 2 years (0.8 FTE, 30.4 hrs per week), starting date 1 September 2025 – or to be determined in mutual agreement. Initially the employee will receive a 12-month contract, with extension for the following 12 months on condition of a positive evaluation. Salary range from €4.537,- to €6.209,- gross per month for a fulltime appointment (pay scale 11 for PDs, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities).
Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3%), training and career development. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. For more information, see https://www.workingat.leiden.edu/.
Diversity & inclusion
Fostering an inclusive community is a central element of the values and vision of Leiden University. Leiden University is committed to becoming an inclusive community which enables all students and staff to feel valued and respected and to develop their full potential. Diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research. High quality teaching and research is inclusive.
Information
Enquiries can be made to the PIs of the project, Dr Irene O’Daly and Dr Bram Caers. Questions about the procedure can be directed at Jennifer Dijkman ([email protected]). Information about LUCAS can be found at https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/geesteswetenschappen/centre-for-the-arts-in-society and about Leiden University at https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en.
Applications
Please submit your application via the online recruitment system, via the blue button at the top of this page, latest Friday, 30 May. Applications received via e-mail will not be taken into consideration. Your application should include:
- Letter of application with a motivation statement of 1000 words max., in which you formulate your special interest in the PD project and some initial ideas about how you would frame/approach it;
- Your CV, listing education and relevant employment history, and any other academic achievements (conference presentations, publications, organization of events, etc.);
- Names, positions and contact information for two referees (no reference letters); please list these on your CV rather than filling them out separately in the system;
- A copy of your PhD-thesis or an article-length writing sample (in case the PhD-thesis is not yet finished);
- Copies of relevant course assessments (list of grades; certificates demonstrating language proficiency);
(Online) interviews will take place on 12 and 13 June 2025. An assessment assignment may be part of the procedure.
Enquiries from agencies are not appreciated.
