How the secularization of religious houses transformed the libraries of Europe, 16th-19th centuries <http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/csb/MigrationofKnowledge.htm>

Centre for the Study of the Book, Bodleian Libraries Conference at St Anne’s College, Oxford, 22-24 March 2012

Convenors: Richard Sharpe (Oxford); Cristina Dondi (Oxford); Dorit Raines (Venice)

What impact did the closure of monasteries and the dispersal of their collections have on the shape of libraries, access to libraries, and the preservation or otherwise of books from the past — the intellectual heritage of Europe?

* Monastic collections and the foundation of national libraries

* Dispersal of collections and new reading publics

* Effects on the market for early books and manuscripts

This 3-day conference also examines the historical and bibliographic tools that are available to address these questions, with speakers from 14 countries. See the conference page for the full list of speakers and themes, and to register: <http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/csb/MigrationofKnowledge.htm> .