Abstract

This article presents possibilities of using online resources in the research of rare prints. Most
of the space is devoted to the MEI database (Material Evidence in Incunabula), which has
been systematically built with the help of institutions associated in CERL (Consortium of
European Research Libraries – CERL). The database used when creating bibliographies or
describing prints is the CERL Thesaurus. The ISTC (The Incunabula Short Title Catalog)
collects records of prints published during the period of fi rst printing. The advantage of
the databases associated in CERL is their linking and reference to their digital copies. In
the field of bookbinding, the German stamp database Einbanddatenbank is widely used.
Database with the largest number of digitized watermarks is Bernstein – Paper memory,
which is based on international cooperation.

Keywords: bookbindings, databases, Incunabula, watermarks