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ToMinisterpräsidentGünther H. OettingerVilla ReitzensteinRichard-Wagner-Strasse70184 StuttgartDen Haag, October 10, 2006Dear Ministerpräsident Oettinger,The Rare Books and Manuscripts Committee of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions is deeply concerned about the proposed sale of manuscripts from the Badische Landesbibliothek in Karlsruhe.As custodians of historical book and manuscript collections, we know that the manuscript collections of the Badische Landesbibliothek Karlsruhe constitute a unique and irreplaceable cultural heritage of high international importance. Most of the manuscripts come from monasteries in South West Germany and date back as far as the high Middle Ages. Thus, they reflect the diverse history and traditions of a region, which has for centuries been an area of cultural exchange across borders. It is by no means only their relation to regional history, which is of scholarly importance. Quite the contrary, manuscripts in any language and on any subject reflect the wide scope of interests and knowledge, which were held in your country in the past.A sale of the manuscripts would result in the breaking up of these historic collections and in their dispersal to many different owners, both public and private, in many different countries. The manuscripts would be alienated from their historical and literary context, which is reflected by each monastic collection as a whole. Many of the books would end up in private ownership and thus be inaccessible to academic research. The considerable sums invested in the preservation and cataloguing of the collection, both by your state and funding agencies such as the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, would be lost.As librarians in charge of digitization projects, we are aware that photographic reproductions of manuscripts are not sufficient replacements for the originals, as scholars analyze not only the contents, but also the material features of manuscripts, ranging from the parchment or paper written on over pigments used for writing and painting to evidence for former use on bindings. Continuing access to the originals is therefore of prime importance. This is best ensured if the manuscripts stay in the region where they were produced, preserved and used up to now.Therefore, as representatives of the international rare books and manuscripts community, we urge you to prevent the sale and dispersal of this important part of German cultural heritage.Sincerely yours,Members and associates of the IFLA Rare Books and Manuscripts CommitteeSusan M. Allen, Chair, USAJan Bos, Secretary, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The NetherlandsMaría Cristina Guillén Bermejo, Biblioteca Nacional, SpainJos Biemans, Amsterdam University Library, The NetherlandsIvan Boserup, Royal Library, DanmarkLuisa Buson, ItalyPearce Carefoot, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, CanadaXiaolan Cheng, Zhejiang Provincial Library, ChinaAnne Christophe, Sorbonne, FranceBjörn Dal, Lund University Library, SwedenElisabeth Eide, NorwayJoana Escobedo, Biblioteca de Catalunya, SpainViveca Halldin Norberg, Uppsala University Library, SwedenSirkka Havu, National Library, FinlandBarbara Jones, Wesleyan University, USAMarie Korey, CanadaRichard Landon, University of Toronto, CanadaHélène Larcher, ENC, FranceFabienne Le-Bars, Bibliothèque Nationale, FranceHye-Eun Lee, National Library, KoreaRegina Mahlke, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, GermanyRémi Mathis, École des Chartes, FranceFabrice Maurin, Sorbonne, FranceJohn C. Meriton, Victoria &#38; Albert Museum, United KingdomFrancesca Niutta, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, ItalyAnna Perälä, Svenska Litteratursällskapets Bibliotek, FinlandAlice Prochaska, Yale University Library, USAMarcia Reed, USAHenry Snyder, USAPeter Springborg, University of  Copenhagen, DanmarkAndrew Stephenson, University of Melbourne, AustraliaBettina Wagner, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, GermanyJutta Weber, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, GermanyLin Zuzao, Zhejiang Provincial Library, China