MEMORY OF THE WORLD REGISTER

Letters from and to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz within the collection of manuscript papers of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Ref N° 2006-33

PART A – ESSENTIAL INFORMATION 1 SUMMARY If the modern scientific world looks back into the mirror of its coming into being, its gaze meets Leibniz – the mathematician, natural scientist, engineer, logician, philosopher, jurist, science organizer and perhaps the last universalist, who still succeeded in uniting in his mind the essen-tials of the knowledge of his own time and of a time yet to come. “The position of Leibniz at the beginning of modern science is analogous to that of Aristotle at the beginning of ancient science. Leibniz’s universality is comparable to that of Aristotle …”1

The collection of manuscript papers of Leibniz at the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Bibliothek - Niedersächische Landesbibliothek (hereafter GWLB) encompasses about 50,000 items, com-prising 150,000 to 200,000 sheets. These include about 15,000 letters from and to about 1,100 correspondents. It is Leibniz’s correspondence in particular extending to all parts of Europe and beyond, even as far as China, that reveals the wide range of topics he worked on. At the same time this correspondence provides an invaluable insight into the extent to which Leibniz influenced the thought of the scientific world of his time. Leibniz was a central figure in the Republic of Letters of his time. His correspondence marks a turning point in the development of thought and of technology in his time. Leibniz established a global network of correspondents and thus exchanged letters with the most eminent scientists and scholars of his day. His correspondence represents the transition from humanist-baroque thought to enlightenment and reason. Being accepted as the most prominent scientist and scholar of his time, Leibniz was looked upon by his contemporaries as expert, arbiter, scientific advocate and referee in matters of science and scholarship. His correspondence thus reflects everything that was known about these matters, be it in Leibniz’s discussions of his own works, be it in discussions of the work of others, or be it his aspiration to academic positions. This correspondence may even act as a mirror of the entire scientific world of Leibniz’s time. Anyone confronted with Leibniz’s

1 Dictonary of scientific biography, vol. 8, ed. by Charles C. Gillispie, New York 1973, p. 151.

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correspondence today will certainly realize that Leibniz was one of the first to establish what is nowadays called the scientific and scholarly community. The GWLB and its predecessor institutions have owned the collection of manuscript papers ever since Leibniz’s death in 1716. In 1895 the librarian Bodemann published a catalogue of the Leibniz-manuscripts and in 1889 a catalogue of Leibniz’s correspondence.2 From that time on scholars and scientists from all over the world have continually worked on editing and interpreting the Leibniz collection of manuscript papers, particularly the correspondence. In 1901 work was started on publishing a critical edition of Leibniz's writings and correspondence. Since then the Academy Edition (“Akademie-Ausgabe”) has been publishing the different series of Leibniz's writings and correspondence, a task that will continue for an estimated 30 years to come. 2 DETAILS OF THE NOMINATOR 2.1 Name (person or organisation) Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Bibliothek – Niedersächsische Landesbibliothek

(Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Library – State Library of Lower Saxony) 2.2 Relationship to the documentary heritage nominated Owner 2.3 Contact person Dr. Georg Ruppelt 2.4 Contact details

Dr. Georg Ruppelt Director Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Bibliothek – Niedersächsische Landesbibliothek (Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Library – Lower Saxonian State Library) Waterloostraße 8 D-30169 Hannover fon +49 511 12 67-303 fax +49 511 12 67-207 e-mail direktion@gwlb.de

2 Both catalogues were milestones at their time, but scholarship has added so many great and small

details to our knowledge about Leibniz that nowadays they are still helpful but outdated.

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3 IDENTITY AND DESCRIPTION OF THE DOCUMENTARY HERITAGE 3.1 Name and identification details of the items being nominated The letters from and to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz within the collection of manuscript papers of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. 3.2 Description The GWLB has some 15,000 letters (approximately 30,000 sheets) from and to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in its keeping. About forty percent of these letters were written by Leibniz and about sixty percent are letters written to Leibniz. The letters written by Leibniz are mainly drafts of his letters in his own hand. The letters actually dispatched were mainly written by amanuenses or copying clerks and signed by Leibniz himself. A substantial number of these dispatched letters has survived in public and private collections all over the world, but a considerable number of these has also been lost. Thus the drafts remain as sole record of these letters. The letters written by Leibniz and preserved in the GWLB collection constitute approximately sixty-five percent of all the letters written by Leibniz. The letters to Leibniz by some 1,100 correspondents consist of the original versions sent to him. These letters represent the personal or semi-personal correspondence of Leibniz with the learned world of his time. The letters to Leibniz in this collection of manuscript papers constitute approximately eighty percent of the all the letters received by Leibniz. Due to its relative completeness and integrity Leibniz’s correspondence in the GWLB gives a representative impression of what Leibniz worked on and at the same time it provides an accurate picture of how science developed in the late seventeenth and the early eighteenth centuries. The GWLB therefore applies for the nomination of this scientific, scholarly and political correspondence of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz as part of the Memory of the World heritage. This application does not encompass the administrative correspondence of Leibniz, because this is neither unique nor particularly relevant to the Memory of the World program. It originates from administrative activity typical for that time. The greater part of this correspondence is preserved at the Niedersächsisches Landesarchiv, Hauptstaatsarchiv Hannover (State Archive of Lower Saxony). This application likewise does not encompass the manuscripts of Leibniz’s works. His works were of great importance for the development of thought in the Enlightenment as well as for the development of the philosophy of transcendental idealism and of modern mathematics; yet they do not stand out above the works of other European philosophers of the seventeenth and

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eighteenth centuries. They were part of a broader world of science which they now represent. Leibniz’s scientific, scholarly and political correspondence however is a unique record representing the formation of modern Europe and the establishment of the world as a community of knowledge. It reflects Leibniz’s own thought in its full breadth as well as reflecting central political and scientific changes in Europe in the age of transition from the Baroque to the early Enlightenment. In Leibniz’s correspondence the most eminent scholars and scientists of his time and their ideas are to be be found. Bibliography The letters were originally arranged alphabetically according to correspondent and in chronological order. Nevertheless there is a considerable number of letters that were later added by different persons to Leibniz’s manuscripts. These have been left in the established order. Some of Leibniz's letters even belong to other holdings owned by the GWLB. The Bodemann Catalogues of Leibniz's manuscripts and letters being outdated, the letters are now documented in detail in the form of a card catalogue,3 the so-called Ritter Catalogue.4 This catalogue has recently been converted into digital form. It is owned by the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Science (Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften), whose foundation was inspired by Leibniz himself. The GWLB has access to the most up-to-date version of this catalogue. The Leibniz Bibliography, which is produced in the GWLB, aims at recording and documenting as completely as possible the writings of Leibniz as well as writings on or about Leibniz. It is an important means of research for international scholarship on Leibniz. The first of the printed volumes listing literature on Leibniz was published in 1967; the annual bibliographies have now been made available online starting with publications of the year 1991.5

In the eighteenth century Leibniz’s letters and works were published in the original languages of 3 Bodemann, Eduard, Der Briefwechsel des Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in der Königlichen öffentlichen

Bibliothek zu Hannover [The correspondance of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in the Public Royal Library in Hannover]. Mit Erg. und Reg. von Gisela Krönert und Heinrich Lackmann, sowie einem Vorw. von Karl-Heinz Weimann, Nachdr. der Ausgabe Hannover 1895, Hildesheim 1966; Bodemann, Eduard, Die Leibniz-Handschriften der Königlichen Öffentlichen Bibliothek zu Hannover [The Leibniz-manuscripts in the Public Royal Library in Hannover]. Mit Erg. und Reg. von Gisela Krönert und Heinrich Lackmann, sowie einem Vorw. von Karl-Heinz Weimann, Nachdruck der Ausgabe Hannover 1889, Hildesheim 1966.

4 http://zopeman.bbaw.de/ritter. 5 Heinekamp, Albert (Ed.), Leibniz-Bibliographie. Die Literatur über Leibniz bis 1980 [Leibniz-

Bibliography. The Literature about Leibniz until 1980], Frankfurt a.M. 1984; Heinekamp, Albert (Ed:), Leibniz-Bibliographie, Band 2: Die Literatur über Leibniz 1981-1990 [Leibniz-Bibliography. Volume 2: The Literature about Leibniz 1981-1990], Frankfurt a.M. 1996.

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composition, namely German, Latin and French. Initially translations were made from Latin to French or German or from French to German and vice versa. Translation activities broadened, once French ceased to be the universal language of science at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Leibniz’s world-wide reception, especially as a philosopher and mathematician, was supported by English editions in particular. Furthermore editions in Eastern Europe (Russia, Hungary, Poland) appeared. Since the end of World War II reception of Leibniz’s thought has extended to the Spanish-speaking world (the end of the Franco regime being a further positive influence), to Italy but also to the countries of south-eastern Europe, to South America and the romance-language countries. In Asia, particularly in Japan and China, Leibniz’s thought plays a most prominent role. This is a result of an increasing orientation towards the West in these countries as well as of a revival of connections between European and Asian history of ideas. Here it has become obvious that the connections between the West and the East offer more than a just a colonial view. Japanese and Chinese editions of Leibniz’s writings provide evidence of this. But it is not alone translations and editions of his writings that provide evidence of increased interest in Leibniz in Asia. The constantly growing number of scientific and scholarly publications on Leibniz provides a similar picture. His philosophy is a focus of interest, and scholars have discovered Leibniz’s connections to Confucianism and parallels between his binary arithmetic and Chinese philosophy in particular. The first Japanese and Chinese publications on Leibniz date from the nineteen twenties and there was a revival after 1945.6 Philosophical scholarship in both countries turned its attentiom to Leibniz after World War II. Meanwhile numerous publications on Leibniz by Japanese and Chinese authors have appeared.7 Thus academic studies on Leibniz, together with translations of his writings, can provide a picture of how the modern world of science took shape in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. His works are a criterion for the world-wide coalescence of science and of scientific recollection. Therefore Leibniz's writings belong to the cultural memory of the world. Leibniz scholarship has always had an international organization. Leibniz societies exist in many countries and there is close cooperation. The Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz-Gesellschaft was founded in Hannover in the spring of 1966. Its seat is at the GWLB. It has set itself the task of deepening knowledge of Leibniz’s works and activities, of cultivating relations between different sciences - emulating Leibniz’s own example - and of conveying Leibniz’s thought to a broad public. The Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz-Gesellschaft has about 400 members in Germany and internationally. It cooperates closely with the Leibniz Society of North America, the Sociedad Española Leibniz and the Leibniz Association of Israel. To date the Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz- 6 Gorai, K., Jukyo no doitsuseijishiso ni oyobuseru eikyo, Tokyo 1929; Fuya Xie, Laibunici yu Dong-Xi

wenhua, in: Lingnan Xuebao 1, 1 (1929), S. 1-13. 7 Well-known Japanese and Chinese Leibniz-scholars after 1945 are: Kinzo Groai, Kateru Otaki, Tomio

Shimizu, Hidé Ishiguro, Yoshiaki Ikeda, Kiyoshi Sakai, Chien Kung Chung, Wenchao Li, Xiuzhai Chen, and Min Ts´ao rank among the well-known Leibniz-scholars after 1945

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Gesellschaft has organized seven international conferences on Leibniz. In cooperation with various partners it also organizes symposia on a broad range of different subjects.8 In 1969 the Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz-Gesellschaft launched the learned journal Studia Leibnitiana. This journal is now the established organ of publication for the international community of Leibniz-scholars. Studia Leibnitiana is dedicated to the history of philosophy and science from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century.9 In July 2005 the first international conference on Leibniz and China took place.10 This conference was organized by The Center of Overseas Sinology (Beijing) and the Leibniz-Editionsstelle Potsdam and is supported by the Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz-Gesellschaft. Referees Prof. Dr. Mark A. Kulstad Department of Philosophy Rice University MS 14 P.O. Box 1892 Houston, Texas 77251-1892, USA e-mail: kulstad@ruf.rice.eduPresident of the Leibniz Society of North America Prof. Dr. Alberto Guillermo Ranea Universidad Torcuato Di Tella Miñones 2177, C1428ATG Buenos Aires, Argentina e-mail: granea@utdt.edu.ar Prof. Dr. Kiyoshi Sakai Department of Philosophy Gakushuin University 1-5-1 Mejiro, Toshima-ku Tokyo 171-8588, Japan 8 The venues of these symposia were Hannover, Nordwijkerhout, Brussels, Florence, Rome, Berlin,

Basle, Brighton, Madrid, Buenos Ayres, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Trieste, Paris, York, Rennes, Houston, Liverpool, Montreal and others.

9 Occasionally the journal publishes supplements and special numbers. 10 Cf. www.bbaw.de/forschung/leibniz/potsdam/pub.html#4.

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4 JUSTIFICATION FOR INCLUSION/ ASSESSMENT AGAINST CRITERIA 4.1 Is authenticity established? (see 4.2.3) The Leibniz collection of manuscript papers including the letters from and to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz has continually been held by the GWLB and the institutions preceeding it ever since the death of Leibniz in 1716. 4.2 Is world significance, uniqueness and irreplaceability established? (see 4.2.4) “I should regard myself very proud, very pleased and highly rewarded to be able to render Your Majesty any service in a work so worthy and pleasing to God; for I am not one of those impassioned patriots of one country alone, but I work for the well-being of the whole of mankind, for I consider heaven as my country and cultivated men as my compatriots.”11

The letters of Leibniz document scholarly and scientific discussions over half a century. Yet the correspondence not only encompasses the intellectual globe, but also the terrestrial globe. The scope of these letters ranges from statements on the regal election in Poland, legal opinions on the Hanoverian electorate and the succession to the British throne, statements on the subject of reunion of the Christian denominations, intellectual pan-European unity including Russia and even extending to a thorough examination of China. Moreover they reflect the thought of a genius. As early as 1765 the French philosopher Denis Diderot confirmed the importance of Leibniz’s writings for the learned world. He emphasized Leibniz’s unique scientific achievement as well as the significance of his letters and writings: „Jamais homme peut-être, n’a autant lû, autant étudié, plus médité, plus écrit que Leibnitz; cependant il n’existe de lui aucun corps d´ouvrages; il est surprenant que l’Allemagne à qui cet homme fait lui seul autant d’honneur que Platon, Aristote & Archimède ensemble en font à la Grèce, n’ait pas encore recueilli ce qui est forti de sa plume. Ce qu’il a composé sur le monde, sur Dieu, sur la nature, sur l’ame, comportoit l’éloquence la plus sublime.“12

The correspondence of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz is a unique document of the Republic of Letters throughout the period of transition from the Baroque to early Enlightenment. It is the most extensive, the most important, and the most significant collection of manuscripts of letters from this epoch. The correspondence contains letters from all scholars and scientists of 11 Leibniz to Peter the Great, 1716, in: Wiener, Philipp P. (ed.), Gottfried W. Leibniz Selections, New

York 1951, p. 597. 12 Encyclopédie ou dictionnaire raisonne des sciences, des arts et des métiers, tome 9, Neufchastel

1765, p. 379.

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importance, and all matters of scholarship and science discussed in that period are to be found in it. Not only does this correspondence reflect the work and thought of Leibniz, the last universal scholar of Europe, but also the efforts of the European Republic of Letters for the attainment of a world based on reason. The letters by and to Leibniz document one of the decisive turning points of European history. National and international comparison shows that Leibniz’s correspondence, as preserved at the GWLB, is a unique holding due to its unity and due to its density of tradition. There is no other scholarly collection of manuscript papers from the time between 1650 and 1750 which is nearly as complete. Its world importance lies in the breadth of the connections documented, covering the entire world, as was then known in Europe. The correspondence supplies us with first-hand impressions for instance of how Russia merged into Europe politically and culturally and also of the cultural exchange between Europe and China. In both cases we can observe historical processes of great and lasting importance for the establishment of our modern world. Leibniz's belief that cultural exchange is a process of mutual give and take appears astoundingly modern. Leibniz's correspondence is of unique importance and significance for European and world history of thought, history of science, and history of culture. Already during his lifetime Leibniz's writings and letters were widely received. This reception involved translations of his writings from Latin to German and French as well as editions of his works. In the nineteenth century efforts to translate his writings were broadened. Supplement I offers a selective list of writings by Leibniz that were translated into various languages. Many of the early editions have the character of miscellanea. Therefore it is not appropriate to distinguish between letters and writings amongst these. Besides Leibniz’s correspondence and writings unite to form an integral whole. The multitude of editions and translations of his writings and correspondence are documented in a printed bibliography.13

During the eighteenth century his correspondence and writings were mainly received within the milieu of enlightened science throughout Europe, namely in France and Germany. This coincides with Leibniz’s preference in the use of languages. Fontenelle wrote a biography of Leibniz, Rousseau defended Leibniz’s Theodicy against Voltaire's criticism.14

As all the documents in this collection of manuscript papers are unique, every single item is irreplaceable. 13 Ravier, Emile, Bibliographie des oeuvres de Leibniz, Reprint Hildesheim 1966. 14 Fontenelle, Bernard le Bovier de, Éloge de M. Leibnitz, in: Histoire de l’Académie Royale des

sciences. Année 1716, Paris: Impr. Royale, 1718, p. 94-128; Jean Jacques Rousseau, Lettre à Monsieur de Voltaire, [s.l.] 1759.

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4.3 Is one or more of the criteria of (a) time (b) place (c) people (d) subject and theme (e) form and style satisfied? (see 4.2.5)

Leibniz was a central figure in the Republic of Letters of his age. His correspondence marks a junction in the development of thought and of the technology of his time. Leibniz established a global network of correspondents and thus exchanged letters with the most eminent scientists and scholars of the day. His correspondence represents the transition from humanist-baroque thought to enlightenment and reason. Thus Leibniz became one of the founders of the utopia that envisioned a society free from national limitations and an emancipatory development of mankind, an order of the world and of knowledge based upon reason and sustained by a secular world religion of ethics. In this sense Leibniz tried to transgress geographical, cultural, and religious borders. Leibniz always attempted to support tolerance, peace and the exchange of ideas. He strove to achieve religious tolerance between the Christian denominations. He was of the opinion that the teachings of Confucius could serve as a helpful source of cognition for European thought. His attempts to bring about a conciliation of interests in cultural matters were founded on his belief that there is a best of all possible worlds within which difference is transformed into harmony. His unprejudiced attitude towards foreign cultures reveals itself in his writings and letters on China in particular.15 His call for tolerance is not based on the idea that no one is privy to truth; rather is it deeply rooted in his conviction that everybody has a share in the truth. Leibniz’s thought formed a hub which conveyed Medieval and ancient thought to modern Europe. In developing the infinitesimal calculus he contributed decisively to the formation of the modern age. Having developed the binary number system Leibniz may also be counted among the founders of modern information technology. His critical approach to sources in historical research continue to have an impact today. Being a jurist and a lawyer by profession, he attempted to modernize the constitutional basis of the Holy Roman Empire (Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation). His commitment in the foundation of scientific academies (Berlin, Vienna, St. Petersburg) was significant. In philosophy Leibniz aimed to combine new scientific thought with the fundamental moral questions of mankind. At the centre of his philosophy was the individual. Nature was to be explored and exploited by technology. His thinking in terms of harmony and his efforts to unite conflicting opinions are not restricted to his philosophy; they also characterize his attempts to reunite the various Christian denominations and his alignment of European and Chinese thought. Leibniz was deeply imbued with the vision of the religious

15 Novissima Sinica Historiam Nostri Temporis Illustratura: In quibus De Christianismo publica nunc

primum autoritate propagato missa in Europam relatio exhibetur, deque favore scientiarum Europæarium ac moribus gentis & ipsius præsertim Monarchæ, tum & de bello Sinensium cum Moscis ac pace constituta, multa hactenus explicantur, [s.l.], 1697; Leibniz korrespondiert mit China: der Briefwechsel mit den Jesuitenmissionaren (1689 - 1714) [Leibniz corresponds with China. The correspondence with the Jesuit missionaries (1689-1714)], ed. by. Rita Widmaier, Frankfurt a.M. 1990.

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unity of the Christian denominations. Ecumenism today still profits from Leibniz’s understanding that all Christian denominations have essentially an identical foundation upon which religious unity is possible. Thus the Leibniz collection of manuscript papers, preserved at the GWLB, is a document of foundation of the modern European age, full of rational ethos; here we find the utopia of a secular global society the citizens of which amalgamate the different intellectual heritages of all known civilizations in order to create a still higher culturally homogeneous whole. His activities to establish a Eurasian cultural synthesis are based on his rational ethos. This can easily be seen in his conduct in relation to Tsar Peter I and to the Jesuit missionaries in China. The kernel of his thought was the idea of a development of civilization throughout the world based on a cultural synthesis between East and West. Leibniz’s correspondence speaks for his efforts to establish a global society of knowledge and reason. Leibniz’s correspondence also documents the communicative culture around 1700 characterized by the handwritten letter. Intellectual intercourse through letters was an essential part of his life. The international character of his thinking is reflected by the languages used in his letters. Forty percent are written in Latin, then still the internationally dominant language of scholarship. Thirty percent are written in French, then in the ascendant and gradually gaining universal acceptance. Another fifteen percent are written in German, Leibniz’s native tongue. In addition there are occasional items in English, Italian, and Dutch. His letter of accreditation as a Russian privy counsellor of justice is written in Russian. Leibniz’s versatility in languages was to contribute enormously to the global reception of his correspondence. Shortly after his death parts of his correspondence were published along with with his unpublished writings.16

4.4 Are there issues of rarity, integrity, threat and management that relate to this

nomination? (see 4.2.6) As all the documents in this collection of manuscript papers are unique, every single item is irreplaceable. As regards management issues the first and foremost aim of the proposal is to ensure the protection of the letters for posterity. The second aim of this proposal is to provide widespread access to Leibniz’s letters. Although there is no immediate danger of decay to the collection of manuscript papers as a whole, a great many individual items are in urgent need of restoration. The conservation workshop of the GWLB is entrusted with this task.

16 Viri Illvstris Godefridi Gvil. Leibnitii Epistolae Ad Diversos, Theologici, Ivridici, Medici, Philosophici,

Mathematici, Historici Et Philologici Argvmenti. Ed by Christian Kortholt, vol. 1-4, Leipzig 1734-1742.

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The collection of manuscript papers is stored in accordance with modern conservation criteria in a strong-room that is immune to flood damage. 5 LEGAL INFORMATION 5.1 Owner of the documentary heritage (name and contact details)

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Bibliothek – Niedersächsische Landesbibliothek (Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Library – Lower Saxonian State Library) Waterloostraße 8 D-30169 Hannover fon +49 511 12 67–303 fax +49 511 12 67–207 e-mail direction@gwlb.de

5.2 Custodian of the documentary heritage (name and contact details, if different to owner)

see 5.1 5.3 Legal status: (a) Category of ownership The GWLB is a state institution of the Federal State of Lower Saxony. (b) Accessibility Access is restricted only by limitations arising from conservation requirements. Microfilm access is unrestricted. To gain access to the original manuscripts scholars and scientists have to provide evidence of their scholarly interest and of the illegibility of the microfilm copy. Items in poor condition are made available only after restoration. (c) Copyright status There is no copyright issue. The GWLB retains all rights relating to these letters. (d) Responsible administration The GWLB is legally responsible for the safeguarding of this material. The responsibility is exercised by the Keeper of the Manuscripts of the GWLB. (e) Other factors None

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6 MANAGEMENT PLAN Is there a management plan in existence for this documentary heritage? Yes The GWLB commenced the digitizing of Leibniz’s manuscripts quite some time ago. To date Leibniz’s manuscripts on technology, life sciences and medicine have been digitized. These images serve as the material basis for series 8 of the Leibniz-Edition in these subject areas. As regards Leibniz’s correspondence there are similar plans. Digitization of the Leibniz’s correspondence is intended as a means of preservation and of provision of a materials basis for the Leibniz-Edition. Furthermore the GWLB has taken every possible step to restore damaged manuscripts and to avoid further damage through the provision of secondary copies which it will continue to do in future. At present the existing microfilms represent the secondary copy; in future these will be replaced by digital images. The GWLB is in a position to provide the requisite scanning equipment and the necessary know-how in order to produce first class scans of the material in question. Cooperation with partners such as the Max-Planck-Institute for the History of Science in Berlin and the Inter-library Network - Gemeinsamer Bibliotheksverbund (GBV), with its processing center in Göttingen, will provide the necessary long-term perspective for this scheme. Integration of the material into the ECHO-Project (cf. http://echo.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/home) through the Max-Planck-Institute for the History of Science in Berlin will provide for public access. The integration of the images into the ECHO-Project will also allow worldwide access to the materials. Via the ECHO-platform it will be possible to build up an expert system on Leibniz17 similar to those on Galileo and Newton, which are likewise hosted by ECHO. The images will be linked to the digital version of the Ritter-Catalogue. It is planned to link the Ritter-Catalogue to catalogues of related collections of manuscript papers in the possession of the GWLB. This procedure will incorporate the Leibniz-collection of manuscript papers into its natural surroundings. Through the provision of color prints of single pages from the digitized images the long-term preservation of this material at the Central Repository of the Federal Republic of Germany (Zentraler Bergungsort der Bundesrepublik Deutschland), which is located in Oberried bei Freiburg, alongside the black and white microfilms18 already there (which are of poor quality) will be ensured. 17 The collection of manuscript papers should at least be linked to the Akademie-Ausgabe and to the

Leibniz-Bibliographie prepared and hosted by the GWLB. 18 These microfilms were produced more than 30 years ago and are partly illegible.

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7 CONSULTATION 7.1 Provide details of consultation about this nomination with (a) the owner of the heritage

(b) the custodian (c) your national or regional Memory of the World committee The draft nomination has been written by the owner in 2003. The final version has been revisted based on consultation with the German Memory of the World-Committee. PART B – SUBSIDIARY INFORMATION 8 ASSESSMENT OF RISK 8.1 Detail the nature and scope of threats to this documentary heritage (see 5.5) The main threat to this documentary heritage consists in the decay process of the paper, due to acid ink, to poor paper quality and to overstraining in the past. 9 ASSESSMENT OF PRESERVATION 9.1 Detail the preservation context of the documentary heritage (see 3.3) Physical state: in part good, partly restored, and partly in need of restoration. Many leaves are in danger of loosing text due to deterioration of the paper. Preservation history: The documentary heritage has been continually treated since 1950. Nevertheless there is a considerable need of restoration resulting from limitations of funding and of qualified personnel. Current preservation policy: Currently the conservation workshop of the GWLB is enthrusted with the conservation of this material. This workshop is well equipped and the GWLB employs several trained restoration specialists.

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