Fons largus
The Library: a Source of Inspiration - Biblioteka, zródlo inspiracji
International Scientific Conference on Humanities

This conference will be held under the patronage of Her Magnificence, Rector of the University of Warsaw, Prof. Katarzyna Chalasinska-Macukow,
and the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Prof. Michael Kleiber.

Warsaw, BUW, IS PAN, from 14th to 17th May 2012

Call for papers

The scientific conference Fons largus. The Library: a Source of Inspiration - Biblioteka, zródlo inspiracji, a joint project of the University of Warsaw Library (BUW) and the Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IS PAN), will take place in Warsaw in the third week of May 2012. The general aim of the conference is to provide a forum for scholars to review and discuss the function and mission of academic and research libraries, with particular reference to their inspirational role for the humanities, their subject and methodological orientation, as well as the libraries’ impact on the artistic creativity and theory of fine arts and architecture. The significance of the library as a source of inspiration will be considered from both historical and contemporary perspectives and consideration will also be given to developments and solutions for the future.

The Library, regardless of how we understand this term - whether as an institution where professional librarians gather together to improve their art and skills, or as a carefully developed and shaped collection of valuable prints, drawings and manuscripts in which achievements of human thought and spirit are retained, consolidated and made accessible, or as a place dedicated to such a collection enclosed within architectural frameworks and filled with sophisticatedly arranged shelves - has always played a crucial role in the growth and evolution of culture. Its permanent impact on human activity and tides of inspiration is usually taken for granted and has thus attracted little special attention or research. However, without libraries, there would be neither knowledge nor science, neither codification of cultural achievements nor systematisation of human learning. It would be hard to envisage any significant manifestation of artistic creativity or clarification of fine arts and architecture principles in a world impoverished by a lack of access to libraries and thus to the exhilarating ideas inspired by wide reading. This important function of a library’s collections was vital not only in the past but is still highly relevant today; it should be reviewed and analysed with the aim of enhancing and enriching its contribution to academic pursuits and research.

A wide circle of individuals representing various academic centres and disciplines of arts and humanities, eminent in their several fields, could usefully collaborate in reviewing and developing various aspects of the function and mission of academic and research libraries. They could consider factors such as: the significance of the professional competence of librarians; the wealth and adequacy of library collections which form a sphere of experience for the humanities; the design of library collections, services and functions which has, does and will best serve the development and growth in the arts and humanities.

Several questions of particular interest arise:

- If or in which way might libraries stimulate and give direction to the development of particular branches of the humanities and interpretative trends?
- Does the concept - derived from interpretations of the ancient Alexandrian Library and Mouseion - of the library as a centre of studies still have relevance today or is it an anachronism?
- What was the role of historic libraries collected by writers, philosophers, historians and art historians and what is their relevance to today’s research? What scientific results can we achieve thanks to their reconstruction or by using current advanced techniques and methods of copying and retaining?
- What was the significance and influence of library collections on the spiritual shaping, on the forming of personality and on the development of creativity in scholars and artists? What has been the impact of libraries and available writings on artistic creativity and how should we recognise, examine and describe it?
- What has been and what is now the relevance of the architectural framework and the design of library space? Should they closely reflect the specific nature and characteristics of the collections they house or can they differ in character and design?

Such questions led the organisers to devise the following topic sessions:

- Animi voluptas. The Scholar’s Library – Biblioteka uczonego
- Ingeniorum consecratio. The Artist’s Library – Biblioteka artysty
- Locum et armarium. The Library Space – Przestrzeń biblioteczna
- Arbor sapientiae. The Library: a Centre of Studies – Biblioteka, centrum studiów
- Gigantium humeris. Historic Libraries: Relevance to Today – Biblioteka dawna dzis
- Thesaurus desiderabilis. The Arts and Humanities Library of Tomorrow – Humanistyczna biblioteka naukowa jutra

The session “Gigantium humeris. Historic Libraries: Relevance to Today” will be dedicated to the memory of late Professor Philipp Fehl from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Professor Fehl was a director of the Cicognara Library Program. Count Leopoldo F. Cicognara’s Library (Fondo Cicognara) is a splendid source of the history and theory of fine arts and architecture principles and has since 1824 been a part of the Vatican Library. Thanks to the generosity of the Professor, a copy of the microform edition has enriched the Special Collections of the Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences and made this valuable resource accessible to Polish scholars.
The Academic Committee and the Organising Committee invite to participate in the Fons largus conference. The sessions and discussions will be conducted in two languages: Polish and English, with simultaneous translation. Scholars who are interested in attending and would like to contribute to any of the subjects of the Fons largus conference are kindly requested to submit the title of their paper and abstract [no more then 200 words] before Monday 6th February 2012. Applications with titles of papers & abstracts should be sent by e-mail on address: konferencja.buwuw.edu.pl. Further information will be posted on the Fons largus conference website which should be activated by the end of January 2012.