An Online Catalogue of Icelandic Heritage

Manuscripts in North America

Handrit.is

• A searchable catalogue of all Icelandic manuscripts: From medieval sagas to farmers’ letters and journals.

• In English, Icelandic and Danish

• For handwritten books in public institutions and private collections worldwide

Digitally reuniting heritage

• A way of digitally reuniting Icelandic manuscripts without having to move them physically

• Icelandic heritage manuscripts brought to North America or written by immigrants are very scattered, with no one main repository or library Icelandic manuscript brought to Winnipeg in

ca. 1883, written by Einar Einarsson.

Cataloguing heritage manuscripts

• At least 100 manuscripts have been identified in Manitoba that could be added to the digital catalogue in collaboration with owners.

• Most belonged to Icelandic immigrants who came to North America in 1873–1914.

Cataloguing heritage manuscripts

• The catalogue is in XML format (a computer language used for formatting digital documents like this). Adding 100 manuscripts would take an estimated three months.

Last chance for manuscripts

• Every manuscript is unique, and every manuscript matters.– The immigrants who owned these

manuscripts treasured them, but conditions were not ideal for fragile paper. Many manuscripts are seriously damaged and at risk of being thrown away.

– Even if only one or two pages survive, they are still important heritage.

Meet the researcher

• Katelin Parsons is a PhD student at the University of Iceland.

• She has been working with Icelandic manuscripts since 2010, including Icelandic heritage manuscripts in Canada.

Mynd: Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir

Supporting the project

• Three main institutions are behind the digital catalogue and have agreed to house information on Icelandic manuscripts in North America on their site:

– The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies in Reykjavík

– The Arnamagnaean Institute in Copenhagen

– The National and University Library of Iceland Manuscript Department

• Initial funding came from research project led by Dr. Margrét Eggertsdóttir on Iceland’s manuscript heritage

• Possibilities for funding current catalogue work include the Manitoba Heritage Grant Program

Next steps

• Manitoba wasn’t the only place where Icelandic immigrants to North America lived, so the next step is to expand the project to include other communities

• For more information on the project or any questions, you can contact Katelin Parsons (katelin@hi.is)

Takk fyrir! Thank you!