When medieval manuscripts became worn or damaged or their texts no longer held utility, they were not discarded but were dismanteled and their parts used for many other purposes, including the binding materials for other, newer books. These fragments, called binding waste, are present in the vast majority of books written and then, with the introduction of the printing press, in printed books. Yale is unusually rich in these early manuscripts and printed books and this project is designed to survey these collections and photograph, identify, and catalog these materials. In most cases, the fragments will be attached to the existing record for the book in which they are found. An example can be seen in Orbis, which includes most of Yale early books, and Morris, the Law Library’s equivalent. This project includes all special collections at Yale that have early materials, including the Lillian Goldman Law Library, the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library, the Yale University Art Gallery, the Yale Center for British Art, the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library, and the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
