Ménestrel: A network in the service of networks

Abstract

The authors presents various aspects of the functioning of the international medieval portal Ménestrel. This text was prepared as a paper for the Warsaw conference of the Mnestrel milieu, held at the Polish National Library, in 2014. The authors recounts the beginnings of the portal, its development, and the research fields that are of interest to its editors. The international character of the collaborators of the portal is emphasised, as well as the fact that all contributrs are volunteers working for the common cause. Thanks to their effort, M nestrel is counted among the most important medieval research and documentation projects on the Internet. One of the fi elds that has gained prominence among the Ménestrel group lately is digitisation of medieval manuscripts and making tchem accessible on the network.