The conference Methodological Problems of the Description of Liturgical Books, dedicated to the memory of Prof. Hristo Kodov (1901-1982) and organised by the Institute of Art Studies (IAS) with the collaboration of the National Library, took place in the Library on 21 and 22 June. It put new accent on the principles of description of mediaeval and later manuscripts of which considerable part formed musical manuscripts of the Slavonic, Byzantine, and Latin (Catholic) liturgical tradition. The conference was part of the project of the Art Studies Institute, financed by the Ministry of Education and Science and aiming at digitization and description of the musical manuscripts from the Ecclesiastic-Historical and Archival Institute at the Bulgarian Patriarchate.

In the three thematic sections were represented the new acquisitions of Slavonic manuscripts in the Center for Slavo-Byzantine Researches “Ivan Dujcev” (V. Velinova), newly discovered (E. Moussakova) and insufficiently known manuscripts (S. Kujumdzhieva), unexplored manuscript and archival collections (А. Atanasov, E. Uzunova, M. Ivanova and E. Sadkovska, Ts. Velichkova, S. Venkova), as well as particular problems of the research and description of different types of manuscripts (Е. Toncheva, deacon I. Ivanov, I. Shomova, M. Dimova, T. Krastanov, D. Getov, E. Kotseva, R. Stankova, M. Tsibranska and M. Raykova, H. Toncheva, Maya Raykova, Y. Genov, S. Georgieva, Y. Marinov, M. Dimitrova). The results of the electronic processing of the repertoire of Old Bulgarian literacy were summed up by A. Miltenova.

Essential part of the conference was the Round Table entitled “Archaeographic, Palaeographic and Codicological Issues of the Old Literary Culture”. Its main objective was to make the institutions and specialists engaged with cataloging and description of manuscripts and old printed books bring together their efforts in the framework of a general program. A. Miltenova stressed on the lack of interest on behalf of Bulgarian libraries to the electronic product, elaborated within an international project of the Institute of literature (IL), lead by her and D. Birnbaum and lack of any coordination between the projects of various institutions for digitization and electronic cataloging. V. Velinova recalled the seminars organized by CIBAL in the 80s and underlined the necessity of new harmonizing of the descriptive terminology, which should be regarded as obligatory. D. Getov evaluated the high standards achieved by the electronic product of the IL and raised the question of the quality of the descriptions themselves of Slavonic manuscripts, for which the best models known should be considered. T. Krastanov reminded the audience of particular collections and manuscripts still awaiting their description. E. Kotseva suggested the renewal of the Seminar of Palaeography and Diplomatics with inclusion of the Greek and Oriental material, while S. Kujumdzhieva focused again on the issues of terminology and on the Greek monuments as starting point to elaboration of the descriptive language for Slavonic books. All participants agreed that Bulgaria is one of the few countries without strategy and national program for preservation and conservation of its written heritage which makes it weak competitor in the field of European projects. The initiator of the official recognition of such a program should be Bulgarian Archaeographic Commission. The Round Table concluded on the decision that in September 2007 working groups must be legitimated according to the distinct codicological and palaeographic problems in order to start the preparation of a next forum, the resolutions of which should be generally observed.

The National Library undertakes the task to inform regularly about further details and the stages of realization of the accepted resolutions, and appeals for active cooperation to the colleagues from the main libraries in the country.