eMGH

on stand-alone CD-ROM PC

Introduction

This guide provides a brief introduction to eMGH, the CD-ROM version of Monumenta Germaniae historica (MGH). The CD-ROM currently installed - eMGH3 - comprises a selection of texts from the five divisions of the MGH (Antiquitates, Diplomata, Epistolae, Leges, and Scriptores), primarily those which have appeared in the last few years. There are plans to expand the content of the CD-ROM so that the entire body of MGH editions will be available in this format within ten to fifteen years.

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Access to eMGH

This title is only accessible from the stand-alone CD-ROM PC in the JB Morrell Library.

  • Insert the eMGH CD into the CD drive
  • Wait until the drive light stops flashing, then click on eMGH from the menu provided
  • At this point you will be presented with a prompt, choose Run disk from current location
  • A security warning will appear, ignore this and click on Yes
  • You will now be at the eMGH welcome page

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Starting your search

At the initial screen press Return to accept the default English version, or select one of the three other languages.

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Searching the database

The Search Screen is in two distinct halves: the key field is the Formae field in which you can search on individual words, or combinations of words. Use the Tab key or the mouse to move between fields.

  • There are 243,501 distinct numbers and words in eMGH3 (1 -> 9, a -> zyt) on which a search may be conducted.

Enter an appropriate word in the Formae box, e.g., 'femina' and press Return to search. Or, given the inflected nature of the Latin language, type this word in the Formae box and add an asterisk thus - 'femina*' - and click on the asterisk button, immediately to the right, which will take you to the appropriate part of the index from which the word 'femina' or a related one can be selected. All items are selected as an initial default when a list is first presented. To select and deselect items within a list, use the spacebar or click on the entry in the selection column with a mouse.

The search conducted through this key field can be narrowed down by using a series of filter fields, as follows:

  • Series. One of the five series of the MGH present on eMGH. They are as follows:
    Antiquitates Poetae 4 Poetae Latini aevi Carolingi. Teil IV
    Diplomata DD Karol Die Urkunden der Karolinger - Diplomata Karolinorum
    Epistolae Epp. Kaiserzeit Die Briefe der deutschen Kaiserzeit
      Epp. sel. Epistolae selectae
    Leges Capit. N.S. Capitularia regum Francorum. Nova series
      Conc. Concilia
      Const. II Constitutiones et acta publica imperatorum et regum
      Fontes iuris Fontes iuris Germanici antiqui in usum scholarum separatim editi
      Ordines Ordines de celebrando concilio
    Scriptores Auct. ant. Auctores antiquissimi
      QQ Geistesch. Quellen zur Geistesgeschichte des Mittelalters
      SS Scriptores (in Folio)
      SS rer. Germ. Scriptores rerum Germanicarum in usum scholarum separatim editi
      SS rer. Germ. N.S. Scriptores rerum Germanicarum, Nova series
      SS rer. Merov. Scriptores rerum Merovingicarum
  • Collectio. The collection in the MGH from which the text is drawn. Fourteen of the forty MGH sub-series are included in eMGH and listed above. (There is also a volume from a series separate from the above entitled Quellen zur Geistesgeschichte des Mittelalters.)
  • Auctor. The medieval author. Twenty-three authors or anonymous author-titles (where the work is unknown or collective) are included in eMGH (the full list is given on pages 23-24 of the accompanying MGH Handbook).
  • Titulus. The title of the work. Four hundred and ninety-one works are included in eMGH.

But most of the searching, however, will probably take place over the whole database.

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Linking words and truncating

* general wildcard, corresponding to any string of characters from zero upwards, e.g., Britan*
+ corresponds to AND: i.e., both forms must appear in the same sentence, e.g., mulier* + parvul*
, corresponds to OR; i.e., either form must appear in the same sentence, e.g., music* , cant*
# corresponds to NOT; i.e., either form must appear in one sentence, but never together in the same sentence, e.g., civita* # civitatis
? one-character wildcard, designating any one character, e.g., a?mitt*
/n the search terms must occur with a maximum of n words separating them within the sentence(s). The order in which the search terms occur is not taken into account, e.g., Jesu /2 Domin*
%n the search terms must occur with a maximum of n words separating them within the sentence(s), and they must occur in the same order in which they are entered in the query, e.g., Amazon* %2 vir*

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Showing or displaying results

The number of matches of any one word or combination of words is displayed to the right side of the Formae field. Likewise the complete number of sentences in each of the filter fields (if used) of the Search Screen is listed to the right of each field.

The number of matches of the specified word(s) within the specified filters is listed at the bottom right of the Search Screen. Clicking on the Sententiae tab will display on screen the text of all of the sentences in which the word is found. The word itself is highlighted in each case. Brief information on the author and title of the work is given at the head of each sentence. Clicking on the Textus tab displays the full text that is the source of the current sententiae highlighted in the sententiae tab.

The full reference for the citation at the top of the display screen can be seen by clicking on the Memento tab.

Reading the whole text

This may be done by selecting within the Inquisitio tab the author or the title of the work from the Auctor or Titulus fields. Clicking on the Textus tab will call up every sentence from the specified work, in order, together with the printed source reference.

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Downloading

You may download text from eMGH from the Sententiae tab only. See below for information on available drives and security notes.

Available drives

You may save either to a floppy disk (drive A:) or to a zip disk (drive E:).

Printing

The CD-ROM PC is not attached to a printer. You will need to take your downloaded files on your floppy or zip disk to a networked classroom or office PC to print.

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Ending your search

Click on the X button or File / Exit in the usual way.

Remove the CD from the drive by pressing the eject button under the CD drive. Wait while it opens, then carefully remove the CD and place it back into the container.

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Commands and function keys

Ctrl End In the formae field. Moves the cursor to the bottom of the search field
Ctrl Home In the formae field. Moves the cursor to the top of the search field
End In the formae field. Moves the cursor to the end of the line
End In the sententiae field. Moves to the end of the list
Enter In a 'filter' field displays a selection list
Enter In the formae field starts the search
Esc Clears the current search field
Home In the formae field. Moves the cursor to the beginning of the line
Home In the sententiae field. Moves to the top of the list
PgDn In the sententiae field. Moves down one sententia
PgUp In the sententiae field. Moves up one sententia
Tab Moves from one search field to the next
F1 Help