The First Collection

Bas Teunissen

In 1612, the States-General in The Hague decided to establish a provincial collegium in the northern city of Groningen. Two years later, the Academy of Groningen was officially opened. Like every other university, the Academy also needed a library, which was established less than a year later. Some well-learned men tasked themselves with starting a collection of books for the library. Four years later, over two hundred titles were collected, in just over four hundred volumes, which were then donated to the university. The books are recorded in the Librorum academicorum syllabus , the library’s first catalogue.

Nicolaus Mulerius (1564-1630), professor of medicine and mathematics, became the university’s first librarian. He did this on a voluntary basis.

There were two versions of the Librorum academicorum syllabus. One for the librarian’s use (on the left) and another one just for show (on the right).

In his own handwriting, Mulerius divided the books into seven sections: Theologici, Iuridici, Medici, Philosophi, Literatores, Mathematici, andHistorici. Books were recorded in this syllabus from 1619 until 1755.

The syllabus is mainly drawn up in Latin. It is only later on, in the 18th century, that some Dutch phrases start to appear.

The books in the university library were not the everyday books one would find in a professor’s personal library. They were very expensive and large, partly to impress magistrates, visitors and possible benefactors.

The syllabus used for show was nicely drawn up in calligraphy, meant to be presented to visitors and potential benefactors. Early in the 21st century, it was digitized and made available online.

Last modified:

30 January 2020 09.33 a.m.

View this page in: Nederlands