"Whoever writes stays" - this popular saying, which probably goes back to a Roman statesman, summarises the function of an archive. This is where what was once written down in an administration and later preserved is stored, even though the actual purpose of writing it down has been fulfilled or has lapsed. What was written down can always be retrieved, interpreted and re-evaluated. The archives of the United Cathedral Foundations therefore fulfil an important task for historical research and are also responsible for preserving the written legacy. In the case of medieval records, this applies in particular to the copia, i.e. copies of documents and account books, which reflect administrative behaviour in a variety of ways. In order to be able to restore these valuable collections, the Merseburg Cathedral Abbey Archive received funding from the state of Saxony-Anhalt in 2024. The funding enabled a total of 20 copies to be restored. The main damage was caused by loose bindings, mould damage and damage to individual leaves and bindings. As a result, the copies could only be used to a limited extent. Digitisation was also not possible as this would have led to further destruction of the volumes.

The bindings have been renewed, the leaves cleaned and bevelled and new slipcases made in elaborate steps. This was always done in close co-operation with the cathedral archives. In this way, the 10-volume collection of transcripts of the Merseburg cathedral provost von Berbisdorf could be housed in slipcases. This important collection can now be easily digitised. A list of the Merseburg canons in office between 1550 and 1800 can now be made available to researchers again. The valuable binding has been supplemented and the book block rebound. Furthermore, a 16th-century notebook with records of the cathedral chapter syndic has been rescued by smoothing and bevelling the leaves and giving the notebook a new binding. As the copybooks were mostly bound in parchment fragments in the 18th century, their replacement has provided new insights into the holdings of the cathedral library. Hidden in a binding were two fragments of a document concerning a bishop's election.

All work steps have been documented in detail so that in future it will be possible to trace which restorations have been carried out.

In the future, extensive funding will still be required to permanently secure the holdings in the Merseburg Cathedral Abbey Archive and Library and make them available to users in both analogue and digital form.