One of the key elements of monastic life in the middle ages was the making copying and preservation of manuscripts. Many religious orders organized great collections of books and built scriptoriums in their cloisters. There certain monks were specially trained in the art of book making.

The subjects of these books although primarily focused on religious matters ran the gamut of topics both sacred and profane. Almost anything was copied and saved - bibles sermons religious tracts theological writings mathematical treatises books on physics or alchemy and even 'forbidden' or heretical documents from the Middle East. Included in this endeavour were also numerous music manuscripts. Music played an essential part in monastic liturgy and choir books were highly valued by the religious communities. Monasteries understood preservation of these documents as their responsibility and consequently amassed huge libraries of enormous value.