UNT Special Collections 2024 Research Fellowship Awardee

Brett Barnard

Project Title

Never Judge a Book by Its Cover: Mapping the Journeys of UNT’s Medieval Manuscript Collections

Project Description

This project seeks to analyze the “journeys” of the medieval and early manuscripts within the Special Collections here at UNT and analyze the “patterns” found within different information objects of the same category. Through a combination of artistic examination, historical research, and religious understanding, I plan to evaluate the physical information gleaned from these objects and how it can be best used in historical research regarding their origins. The project’s next stage involves digitally mapping the selected object’s journeys, carefully detailing their owners, unique aspects of their constructions, and the ways in which objects of similar formats compare, simultaneously increasing their accessibility for a large user base.

Biography

Brett Barnard is a dual degree candidate at the University of North Texas, having completed his M.L.S. with the College of Information, and currently completing his M.A. in History with the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. His research foci include cultural history, religious history, the history of American nuns, and the activities of the Catholic Church during the papacy of Pope Pius XII and the Second World War. At the time of writing, he has started a new position with the UNT Library Annex as a Graduate Student Assistant, helping with the organization and development of the inter-university Voices of the Eastern Shore Project. He received his B.A. from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin and hopes to pursue a career in academic librarianship, archival work, or education.