Visitation records as a source to history of historical book collections. Example of the records of Chełm deanery of the 18th and early 19th centuries

Abstract

The identifi cation of old book collections is one of more important areas of historical-bibliological research. A signifi cant portion of such collections are parish libraries (book collections). One of the principal sources in their investigation is visitation records listing the books possessed by a parish. Such documents of general visitations of the 18th and early 19th centuries in the Chełm diocese’s Chełm deanery show the parish book collections in Czułczyce, Kumów, Olchowiec, Orchówek, Pawłów, Sawin, Sosnowica, Świerże, Uhrusk, and Wereszczyn. They are diversifi ed both in terms of the number and content of books. In each of them there are books pro officio ecclesiastico, while the texts pro docendo populo are found in larger and better endowed parishes. The books were usually donated therefore the collections contain works not necessarily useful in the pastoral work of parish priests. They are the products of Polish and foreign print shops and date from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.