Tuija Ainonen
LightNews LightNews
banner
tainonen.bsky.social
Tuija Ainonen
@tainonen.bsky.social
2.1K followers 820 following 95 posts
Medieval and early modern manuscripts, books, libraries and archives

Sub-Librarian / Special Collections Librarian at The Parker Library, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
@parkerlibcccc.bsky.social

My posts, my views and interests - not my employer's
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
tainonen.bsky.social
Tuija Ainonen @tainonen.bsky.social · Nov 29
Very modest starter pack for accounts that post mainly about medieval manuscripts and libraries - let me know how many I missed and I'll be happy to add you / your suggestions

#MedievalMSS

go.bsky.app/7EkwHVJ
Reposted by Tuija Ainonen
laurajcleaver.bsky.social
The first medieval manuscripts seminar of the term is next Tuesday. It’s a hybrid lecture. Eyal Poleg will be talking about The Science of Erasures #MedievalSky 👇
ies.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...
Medieval Manuscripts Seminar
The seminar covers current research into the intellectual history of book production in the Middle Ages
ies.sas.ac.uk
January 29, 2026 at 1:07 PM
Reposted by Tuija Ainonen
visithmml.bsky.social
March 6 is the deadline to apply for Introduction to #Arabic #Manuscript Studies—a virtual, one-week intensive course held from June 22 to 26, 2026.

Apply today: hmml.org/programs/arabic-mss-studies
January 28, 2026 at 3:36 PM
tainonen.bsky.social
French pronunciation truly horrifies me, coming from language tradition where everything that is written is pronounced!

'Ail' in all its forms remains unpronouncable to me.
I feel the agony of medieval scribes who heard and understood the word, and then tried to figure out how to write it out
January 26, 2026 at 12:08 PM
tainonen.bsky.social
It's fun to go down these rabbit holes 🐰🕳️ when avoi... when making minor tweaks to the Parker Library On the Web manuscript descriptions

Today I'll correct the misattribution of: Bull granting Thomas Becket (was: Bourgchier) archbishop of Canterbury license to canonize Anselm of Canterbury
January 26, 2026 at 11:04 AM
tainonen.bsky.social
The amazing @a-ndictionary.bsky.social was invaluable for understanding this:
anglo-norman.net/entry/ail

The variety of plural forms for 'ail' is staggering. If you thought modern French spelling was challenging, it's always fun to discover Middle French!
plain black text on white background providing typographical variants for Middle French 'ail' aka garlic
January 26, 2026 at 10:56 AM
tainonen.bsky.social
Trilingualism in action: Latin book on herbs & their uses gets translation annotations of some head words to French & English

Things I learned: 'haus' (Middle French) is a (rare) plural form of 'allia' (Latin), aka 'garlec' (Middle English)

CCCC MS 438, f. 21v
parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal...
Excerpt of a page in medieval manuscript containing information about herbs and their uses. Right hand column contains the text in brownish-black ink, with a capital S in red with blue pen-flourishes that starts the paragraph on 'allia' / garlic. Left hand column contains summary of main medical uses of garlic, written in red ink by the same hand has the main text. Left column is occasionally intersperced with translation glosses of the main headword, added by a later hand. Black ink reads 'Haus .Garlec.' to indicate the Middle French and Middle English words for 'allia'. The Parker Library, CCCC MS 438, f. 21v
January 26, 2026 at 10:50 AM
Reposted by Tuija Ainonen
greenleejw.bsky.social
It's Tuesday. So let's talk about birds eating eels, passing them, and eating them again.

It's a THING that shows up in art & language. Here for example, is a lovely 13th C. image of a heron, shown in various stages of eating and...um...recycling eels. Or, at least, an eel. 1/4
🗃️🧪
Medieval image of 2 herons in the water. The one in the back has it's beak in the water, looking for eels. And the one in the front is shown in two different poses: 1 with it's head up, and an eel in its beak; and 1 where it is grabbing an eel that is coming from its bottom. The eels are drawn standing in greenish water, and the whole thing is in a circle. You can just see text surrounding the circle, so you can tell that the image is part of a book. In fact, it's from a bestiary, and you can see, in red letters, the word "Ardea", meaning heron. The text doesn't name the herons in the image, but we can imagine that the one in front is called Willyon, & the other is Sarawiskers. You'd like to think that Willyon's behavior would make him an outcast, because it's what would happen to you if you tried that sort of thing among friends. But herons are more open-minded, and Sarawiskers isn't going to judge him. We could all use a friend like that. Image is from: BL Harley MS 4751, 41r
January 23, 2026 at 4:05 PM
Reposted by Tuija Ainonen
laurajcleaver.bsky.social
If you have graduate students working with medieval manuscripts this free online training might be useful 👇
www.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...
Digital Tools for Manuscript Studies
www.sas.ac.uk
January 23, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Reposted by Tuija Ainonen
siobhanconvery.bsky.social
Delighted to be advertising three new vacancies in Collections at Glasgow University Library. This is an exciting time to join a world-class collection and team. Find out more at: www.gla.ac.uk/explore/jobs...
University of Glasgow - Explore - Jobs at Glasgow - Appointments - Library Collections DirectorateSearch iconClose menu iconMenu icon bar 1Menu icon bar 2Menu icon bar 3
www.gla.ac.uk
January 24, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Reposted by Tuija Ainonen
visithmml.bsky.social
How do you transform a fragile book into carefully maintained digital images & provide free, round-the-clock access for anyone, anywhere in the world?

On January 28 at 11am (CT), join us for “The Extraordinary, Ordinary Work of Building a Digital Library,” a free, virtual program: hmml.org/events
The Extraordinary, Ordinary Work of Building a Digital Library Wayne Torborg, Dr. Catherine Walsh, and John Meyerhofer January 28 from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. (CT) Free, virtual Winter Lecture Series RSVP at HMML.org
January 21, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Reposted by Tuija Ainonen
hetanshah.bsky.social
Please help spread the word on this, especially to those who may be feeling cold winds towards their research.

We’ve opened the call for our International Fellowships, enabling early career researchers to work for two years at a UK research institution
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...
International Fellowships 2026 The International Fellowships Programme enables researchers to work for two years at a UK institution with the aim of building a globally connected, mobile research and innovation workforce. Funding status Open for applications Career stage Early-career
January 15, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Reposted by Tuija Ainonen
parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
The most elaborate Pontifical (liturgical handbook for bishops) to survive from medieval England contains gilt images of bishops at work & careful notation.
The playful initials could so easily be missed! 😛🎵🐇

CCCC MS 079, ff. 134v, 214v (c.1400-25)
parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal...
#medievalmss
Gothic letter U with penwork decoration depicting a face on the right, sticking out a red tongue and two rabbits on red background inside the bow of the U The Parker Library, CCCC MS 079, f. 134v (c. 1400-1425) Gothic letter O with penwork decoration depicting a face on the right, sticking out a red tongue, two rabbits on red background inside the circle of the O and one (parrot-like) bird sitting on top. The Parker Library, CCCC MS 079, f. 214v (c. 1400-1425) Luxurious miniature of a seated bishop in blue chasuble lined in red, red and gold mitre, holding a red book in his lap. Bishops throne is gold, background patterned with pink and white, framed in golden border, golden corner decorations linked with blue bars decorted with delicate white penwork. Another gold, blue and pink decorative border visible at the edges of this image. The Parker Library, CCCC MS 079, f. 25r (c. 1400-1425)
January 20, 2026 at 11:02 AM
Reposted by Tuija Ainonen
camlibresearch.bsky.social
Munby Fellowship in Bibliography based @theul.bsky.social in Cambridge - closes on 1 February, so still time to apply.
Munby Fellowship in Bibliography 2026 - 2027 at University of Cambridge
Searching for an academic job? Explore this Munby Fellowship in Bibliography 2026 - 2027 opening on jobs.ac.uk! Click to view more details and browse other academic jobs.
www.jobs.ac.uk
January 14, 2026 at 6:58 PM
Reposted by Tuija Ainonen
madden1826.bsky.social
The life of Frederic Madden, in his words, 200 years after the events described. Transcribed from his journal by students @ies-sas.bsky.social. Released daily in 2026.👇
madden1826.com
Madden1826
Frederic Madden's Journal, 1826
madden1826.com
December 29, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Reposted by Tuija Ainonen
parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
Exciting news for fans of Richard Rolle of the 'The Fire of Love' fame ❤️‍🔥

Dr Timothy Glover, recently Parker Library Early-Career Research Fellow, has made a once-in-a-lifetime discovery that brings us closer to the beloved mystic, hermit and author Richard Rolle (d.1349)

tinyurl.com/e3266str
Screenshot with a banner text 'The hermit's best-seller' in pink and 'The only surviving original version of one of late medieval England's most popular works of literature reveals its secrets' in white on black background and a medieval painting of two men. Below the banner is an image of Dr Glover on the right and text 'Parker Library Research Fellow reveals the secrets of one of England's most popular works of medieval literature' on the left.
January 14, 2026 at 1:51 PM
Reposted by Tuija Ainonen
parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
Perfect day for stirring soups and stews in front of roaring fireplace - watch out those toes!

CCCC MS 53, f. 1v
parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal...

#medievalmss
A circle drawn with black, red and white ink and gold-filled background presents a person in green shirt and hooded red cloak who sits in front of a large pot on a fire, while hooking a slab of meat(?) out of the pot with a claw-like tool. The toes of their left feet are uncomfortably close to the fire. Image copied from Parker Library manuscript CCCC MS 53, f. 1v
January 14, 2026 at 12:02 PM
Reposted by Tuija Ainonen
digitalmedievalist.bsky.social
A new digital library full of manuscripts and incunabula to discover! 📜

#medievalsky #DigitalHumanities
January 12, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Reposted by Tuija Ainonen
sebfalk.com
JOB ALERT!

3-year postdoc at @girtoncollege.bsky.social - research anything you like in History, Archaeology or Anthropology in a wonderful, welcoming scholarly community.

PLEASE SHARE! Closes 12 January

www.girton.cam.ac.uk/job-vacancie...
Here's what it looked like on my return to work this morning - beautiful red brick gabled building of Girton's Hall, with a dusting of snow on the grass in front.
January 5, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Reposted by Tuija Ainonen
medievalmcsheff.bsky.social
I posted this👇 to a claim that genAI is better than Ctl+F to search historical docs. @tristanpalmgren.bsky.social replied with a genAI summary of my document and @bookllyfr.bsky.social asked if it was accurate.

It turns out that it did exactly what genAI does: made stuff up & got stuff wrong.🧵
December 22, 2025 at 3:00 PM
tainonen.bsky.social
So, you're a medieval manuscript librarian? Oh, that's nice. I guess it's good that someone looks after those old dusty books
December 22, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Reposted by Tuija Ainonen
parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
It is time to feast!

Our annual winter closure is here. We will return back for our regular hours on Monday 5 January, 2026

Parker Library On the Web will continue to fullfil your medieval manuscript desires: parker.stanford.edu/parker

CCCC MS 053, f.65r
tinyurl.com/vuyr92pt

Happy holidays!
Medieval Calendar image for January, roundel with black-blue-white frame and gilded background portrays a crowned three-faced person dressed in green robe and red cape, at table, drinking and eating. Table covered in white cloth holds drink and food, including a boar's head. The Peterborough Psalter and Bestiary, early 14th century, now CCCC MS 053, f. 1r https://parker.stanford.edu/parker/catalog/gs233db8425
December 19, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Reposted by Tuija Ainonen
ccurran.bsky.social
Very interesting position at ASNC for a Celticist: www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/assista...
Assistant Professor in Celtic
The Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, within the Faculty of English wishes to appoint an Assistant Professor in Celtic from 1 September 2026. We seek applicants who have research and
www.cam.ac.uk
December 18, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Reposted by Tuija Ainonen
reimavalimaki.bsky.social
The latest issue of Mirator, a multidisciplinary journal for medieval studies, is out!

It's a thematic issue on #Science and #Magic in the Middle Ages.

#MedievalSky

journal.fi/mirator/issu...
Mirator Vol 25 Nro 2 (2025): Between Science and Magic
journal.fi
December 16, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Reposted by Tuija Ainonen
ccockburn.bsky.social
An interim version of the Explore Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue is now available through the BL website: searcharchives.bl.uk

It contains all the catalogue data from the eve of the 2023 cyberattack, and features embedded links to all currently available digitised content within the records.
A screenshot of a search input in the British Library's interim Explore Archives and Manuscripts catalogue.
December 15, 2025 at 1:40 PM
tainonen.bsky.social
DOI not found ...
December 12, 2025 at 11:32 AM