Dr. Jennifer Carnell joined the staff at HMML in 2023 as Cataloger of Western Manuscripts. She holds a BA in English and German from Stetson University in central Florida and was awarded a MA and PhD in Germanic Studies with an emphasis on Medieval Studies from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. While at the University of Minnesota, Carnell taught undergraduate and graduate courses in modern German and participated in HMML’s paleography program, the Minnesota Manuscript Research Lab (MMRL), where she first learned in-depth about HMML’s mission. She has developed online resources for undergraduate researches using early modern books, and she has presented work at many conferences, especially the yearly International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University.

Now at HMML, Carnell improves the catalog information of HMML’s microfilms of Western European manuscripts, particularly those photographed at German and Austrian libraries, in order to prepare the manuscripts for HMML Reading Room.

What she enjoys most about her work: “Knowing that my work assists the larger goal of preserving the knowledge and faith traditions of many cultures and opening new avenues for intercultural and interlinguistic research, which is close to my own research interests. Every day I have the opportunities to learn something new and to interact with amazing colleagues.”

Stories by Dr. Jennifer Carnell

•   What Does the Fox Say? A Hierarchy of Animal Voices
•   Visualizing the Audible: Depictions of Music in a Medieval German Manuscript
•   Do You Hear What I Hear? The Audible and Inaudible in Medieval Music