SPECIFICITY OF THE COLLECTIONS AT MUSEUM BRANCHES OF THE RACZYŃSKI LIBRARY IN POZNAN

Abstract

Two theses are formulated by the paper’s authors. The first speaks of the mission of making culture products available to the public, which was precisely the one Count Raczyński followed at the moment of founding the Library in 1829, and of the validity of this mission in the operations of the museum branches of the Raczyński Library: the Literary Museum of Henryk Sienkiewicz (MLHS) and the Flat-Studio of Kazimiera Iłłakowiczówna (MPKI). The second thesis claims that the book collections of both institutions are very special: they contain exceptional books and their book collections as such can become the object of research for literary scholars and linguists. Furthermore, information on the creation of the Raczyński Library and on the foundation of its museum branches is provided. In their analyses the authors classify the book collections into three basic categories: donated items, books that stand out as for their appearance, works created by the institutions’ donors, and an additional category for MPKI: books serving as tools for writers. The most interesting items within each category have been distinguished and described.