Early Modern Bibliotourism: The Case of English and Scottish Visitors to Continental Europe, c. 1600-1700

This talk explores early modern English and Scottish visits to libraries in Continental Europe through the prism of tourism history to argue that the period was crucial for the early development of bibliotourism. Travellers experienced libraries as holistic spaces, paying attention to the appearance of the buildings, decorations inside the libraries they visited, and the materiality of the objects they encountered. Their experience of libraries was curated by librarians and library-keepers, who created tourist trails consisting of a limited number of star exhibits in their collections. Visitors often experienced libraries in conjunction with other similar institutions, especially cabinets of curiosities. Libraries were a place for in-depth scholarship for some, but they were sightseeing tourist destinations for most visitors. This research was done as a part of the Global Library Project, so the talk will also include an introduction to the project, its aims, methods and current outcomes. 

Nailya is a researcher of early modern travel. She was educated at Cambridge and has since worked at Oxford, LSE and UEA. She currently researches early modern English and Scottish engagement with foreign libraries as a part of a UKRI-funded Future Leaders project The Global Library at the University of East Anglia.

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