The Georgian National Centre of Manuscripts (; formerly the Institute of Manuscripts), located in Tbilisi, is a repository of ancient manuscripts, of historical documents and of the private archives of eminent public figures. The centre was established on 30 June 1958 on the basis of the collection in the Department of Manuscripts at the Georgian National Museum. The founder and the first director of the Institute was Professor Ilia Abuladze, a Corresponding Member of the Georgian Academy of Sciences. The collection of the National Centre of Manuscripts comprises manuscripts, historical documents, early printed books, rare publications and heirlooms. The Centre carries out various projects related to scientific research, exhibitions and restoration. Specialists working at and with the Centre engage in the description, systematisation, study and publication of the material housed at the Centre, as well as in the production of data bases dealing with this material. The Centre also has a rich academic library and includes rooms dedicated to the memory of Korneli Kekelidze, Ivane Javakhishvili, Ilia Abuladze, Niko Berdzenishvili, Elene Metreveli and Shalva Amiranashvili.
History
The National Centre of Manuscripts was founded in 1958 under the name "The Institute of Manuscripts of the Georgian Academy of Sciences". It was created on the basis of the collection in the Department of Manuscripts at the Georgian National Museum and on the initiative of Ilia Abuladze, who became the first director of the Institute. In 1962, the name of the Institute was supplemented with "Kekelidze" to honour the Georgian philologist and literary historian Korneli Kekelidze. From 1968 until 1989, the director of the Institute was Elene Metreveli, Academician of the Georgian Academy of Sciences. During the period from 1989 to 2006, the director of the Institute was Zaza Aleksidze, a Corresponding Member of the Georgian Academy of Sciences.
In 2006, the "Korneli Kekelidze Institute of Manuscripts of the Georgian Academy of Sciences" was abolished and replaced through the establishment of a legal entity under public law, the "Korneli Kekelidze Institute of Manuscripts". On 23 May 2007, on the initiative of the staff at the Institute, its name was changed to "The National Centre of Manuscripts". This initiative was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science and was approved by the government.
Structure
Organisational and administrative activities of the Centre are managed by the director, whereas scientific and development activities are managed and implemented by the Scientific Council. In addition, the Centre contains other structural units: departments and laboratories. Currently there are eight departments (Codicology, Source Studies and Diplomatics, Archival Studies, Fund Management, Exhibitions, Education, the Library, Art History) and two laboratories (Restoration and Conservation, Digitalisation).
Director The Director of the National Centre of Manuscripts manages organizational and administrative activities of the Centre. In relations with third parties, the director is the official representative of the Centre and is responsible for ensuring that the Centre's activities are the legitimate, reasonable and effective.
According to the Charter of the National Centre of Manuscripts, the Scientific Council elects a director for a period of four years. Mandatory requirements for this post are a higher degree and work experience of not less than five years.
The director of the Centre has a deputy who, in the event of the absence of the former, serves as Acting Director. At present, the director of the Centre is Zaza Abashidze.
Scientific Council
The Scientific Council of the National Centre of Manuscripts is, together with the Director, the executive body of the Centre. The Scientific Council discusses and takes decisions by voting on matters regarding the management and development of the Centre.
The members of the Council are elected for a five-year period at the general meeting of the scientific members of the National Centre of Manuscripts. The number of Council members depends on the number of the Centre's structural units (departments and laboratories). Each structural unit is represented on the Council by one or two academic colleagues (two if the number of academics in the structural unit is greater than ten).
The Council is led by a chairman, elected for five years by the Council itself. At present the chairman of the Scientific Council is Shalva Gloveli.
Structural units
Department of Codicology
The Department of Codicology performs work in two main directions:
Editions of the original and translated old Georgian literature supplemented with philological-textological and historical studies and various types of dictionaries and indices; Description of the Georgian handwritten books and manuscripts in other languages preserved in repositories of Georgia and foreign countries – Jerusalem, Mount Sinai, Mount Athos, Paris, Saint-Petersburg, etc.
Department of Source Studies and Diplomatics
Department of Source Studies and Diplomatics was founded at the beginning of the establishment of the Centre. The specifics of the material itself defined the scientific-research activity profile of the department. The department activities mainly cover the following:
Exact description and listing of the material, search engine optimisation – preparation of different kind of catalogues. Expansion of the source studies’ base in Georgian history – publication of historic sources.
In the scientific-research activity of the department great attention was given to the description – research and publication oriental sources of Georgian history – Armenian, Arabic, Persian, Turkish sources.
Department of Archival Studies
This Department was established in 2007 on the basis of the private archives of writers and public figures preserved at the National Centre of Manuscripts. Department works in the following directions:
Processing of the private archives, including preparation of the descriptions and edition for publishing; Reprocessing of the archives; Creation of generic electronic catalogue with existing photo-collections; Scientific publications of the archival documents; Attraction of new archives.
Department of Fund Management
The Department Fund Management manages the funds of manuscript books and historical documents as well as the private archives. Other funds created in the Department’s structure are also within its competence. The library books, the funds of memorial cabinets and articles as well as the cartography funds are managed and controlled by the Department of Library, but the issues of creation, integration or division are agreed with the Department of Fund Management.
Department of Exhibition
The aim of the Department of Exhibition is to give mass appeal to the cultural heritage preserved in the Centre by the means of the various exhibition projects. The Exhibition Department arranges permanent and mobile exhibitions both inside and outside Georgia. The Exhibition Department supports development of the exhibition system of the National Centre of Manuscripts and its compliance with the international standards of exhibitions.
Department of Education
Department of Education by means of the educational and exhibition projects, various programs and services implements integration of the cultural and intellectual heritage preserved at the Centre in the life of society. Interaction and direct contact with this heritage Department supports self-realisation and development of the members and groups of society.
Department of Library
There are 10,935 Georgian, 11,654 Russian and 6496 other foreign-language books in the field of humanities kept at the main depositories of the Library of the National Centre of Manuscripts. The library also counts 3096 Georgian, 7285 Russian and about 4000 other foreign journals.
The main part of the library books and journals are kept at depositories, encyclopaedias, dictionaries and referral literature in the reading hall of the library.
The library has an integrated catalogue that, in addition to main depository catalogues, lists the catalogues of the books and journals kept at 6 memorial halls of the National Centre of Manuscripts.
Department of Art History
Department of Art History studies art of the Georgian books, works on creation and preparation of the corpus of miniatures which are included in the manuscripts for publishing. Illumination of manuscripts is studied considering chronological and thematic aspects in order to define artistic styles typical to the different scriptoria, epoch or subject matter. Special attention is devoted to the matters related to the copyists, artists and book-binders.
Laboratory of Conservation and Restoration
The Laboratory of Conservation and Restoration was established at the National Centre of Manuscripts in 2006. This Laboratory replaced the former Department of the Hygiene and Restoration. In the Laboratory of Conservation and Restoration the works are performed in several directions: Conservation and restoration of manuscripts on parchment and paper, early printed books, historical documents, archive materials as well as the books of the Centre's library and other materials preserved in the private collections; Conservation of the old and damaged pages; Separation of the petrified and stuck pages; Straightening and restoration of the deformed leaves; Filling the missing parts/passages; Binding of the loose manuscripts, restoration and conservation of the original stamped leather book-covers; Disinfection and cleaning of the preserved or newly acquired materials.
Laboratory of Digitalisation
At the centre of the National Centre of Manuscripts functions the Laboratory of Digitalisation, where the materials kept at the Centre are scanned, sorted and encoded in digital format. Digitalisation of the manuscripts, documents, miniatures and photo materials the Centre supports their fixation and presentation to the scientific circles. Digitalisation is also a good tool for the preservation of the existing material – in the future materials which might be lost in the course of time can be restored on the basis of the digital copy.
Collection
The collection of the National Centre of Manuscripts comprises handwritten books, historical documents and archival funds. The collection of the manuscripts and historical documents are divided into groups (sub-funds) according to language, in the archival fund are kept private archives of the Georgian and foreign public figures, also archives of the various organisations.
Manuscripts
Collection of the manuscripts is divided into groups of Georgian, Oriental, Greek, Russian and manuscripts in other languages. Out of these groups collection of the Georgian manuscripts is the biggest. It comprises thousands of manuscripts, dated from 5th to 19th centuries. Among them are also palimpsests.
Collection of the Georgian manuscripts is divided into four sub-collections – A, H, Q and S. This collection contains both church and secular literary works. The preserved writings - "Martyrdom of Saint Shushanik", "Martyrdom of Evstati Mtskheteli", "Martyrdom of Abo Tbileli" form the cornerstone of the medieval Georgian church literature. Except of this collection comprises the notable works of Byzantine church literature translated into Georgian by Eqvtime Mtatsmindeli, Giorgi Mtatsmindeli, Eprem Mtsire, Arsen Ikaltoeli and other remarkable Georgian figures. From the secular literature are noteworthy handwritten copies of "Vepkhistkaosani" ("Man in the Panther Skin"), also other manuscripts containing astrological, geographic, medical, mathematic or military writings.