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The Medieval and Renaissance Leaf Collection is a resource for faculty and students interested in the history of the European book, particularly the development of the medieval codex. The collection, which includes handwritten manuscript materials ranging from the twelfth to the fifteenth century, houses individual leaves from early Christian liturgical texts, such as psalters, bibles, breviaries, missals, as well as an antiphonary (including musical notation), from Italy, Spain, France, and Germany. Scribal hands, which allow historians to identify the likely time and place of production, include Caroline Miniscule, Textura, Bastarda, and Rotunda. Students using this collection can easily see key examples of early book production techniques, such as dry-point ruling, rubrication, catchwords, illuminated initials, and pricking and ruling. The original materials, which are quite fragile, are available in Special Collections upon request, but the digitized versions facilitate closer examination while preserving these items for future generations of students.

Former Utah State University Library Dean Richard Clement, noted scholar of book history, generously donated his personal teaching collection when he came to Utah State University from the University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library, where he had been the Head of Special Collections. While USU does have a small number of additional medieval and Renaissance manuscript materials, Clement’s collection forms the core of the teaching collection with exemplars from across the European continent.