Illuminated manuscripts refer to books, and written works that have hand painted embellishments and details included within the work. They are mainly from the medieval period in Europe. The term comes from the Latin word illuminare, which means to enlighten, monks and scribes included these small works of art to give importance and transcendence to the scriptures of God, and of all the works that venerated the divine. This could be applied to anything from maps, prayer books, books for display, and books for personal use. Illumination has many styles and trends that can be identified. The art can be abstract, interpretive, or miniature portraits. Illuminations often use some of the richest pigments and materials, because they were considered of the utmost importance. Rich detail would be laid down in gold causing them to reflect the lights and literally illuminate the text. While many of these text have survived intact there are a number of books that have fallen apart due to age. These pages of a book, called the membra disjecta, offer a small insight into what the work as a whole have entailed. On the Southern Oregon campus, there are eight such membra disjecta that I will be focusing on in order to examine the history of the medieval era, the production of illuminated texts, and the social aspects of medieval literature.